The Mata Nui Academy for Supernatural Combat
by Vest and Bow Tie
Summary: What if the Toa Mata were human... and attending a school to teach them to be Toa? Watch as the team unites to fight their greatest adversary: teenagehood! (Fear not, minimal angst). Main focus on Kopaka, but the others have their turn. Rated T for language and, well, in case I decide to take this story on a dark turn (not likely, but better be safe)
1. Welcome to the Academy

Hi guys. I'm new here, so please don't hurt me. That said, feel free to review and tell me where I need to improve. I am a massive fan of the Bionicle phenomenon. However, being as they are bio-mechanical beings, I found it hard to relate to them and hard to write about. So I tweaked the Bionicle universe just a touch. I tried to include nods to the major points in the Bionicle canon, so for those hardcore fans, this is not a departure from the source material, just an alternative perspective. I love writing teenage/ school dramas (fear not, minimal angst), and I thought it would be fun to include my second favourite generation of Toa as they were learning to become Toa. One other thing. In order to invest me in a series, it has to suspend my disbelief, and one place where Bionicle fell short was that they never explained the source or limits of the Toa's powers. So, in this story, I will be including my own interpretation on the rules of the Elemental and Mask powers.

BTW, these characters are written as humans. This first chapter is very, very short, but the next one is much longer, I promise. successive chapters will be as long or as short as they need to be to have smooth beginnings and endings :P Enjoy.

* * *

"The Mata Nui Academy for Supernatural Combat was established in a time long ago, a time buried so far in the distant past that much of what we know about our school has been passed down through vague stories. In keeping with that tradition, you will be told that story..."

Kopaka smirked. He already knew the story. He knew all about the academy; much more than most people. Probably more than even the teachers. He sighed as Vakama, the principle of the academy continued with his story.

"... Mata Nui was betrayed by his brother, Teridax. Teridax struck down Mata Nui, but what he did not know is that Mata Nui had foreseen his betrayal, and created this academy as a safeguard against Teridax's army, the Makuta..."

Tahu snarled as the boy next to him kept whispering in his ear. The other boy was shaking with barely restrained laughter. Tahu eyed the other teachers carefully, ready to elbow the other boy if any of the teachers strayed to close.

"…This academy has brought to the world such legendary Toa warriors as Lhikan and the rest of his team, the Toa Hagah and many others, including the former Toa Metru who are now your Turaga mentors…"

Onua sat totally still and staring at Vakama. Next to him sat Pohatu, a little off-put by the single-minded focus of the other boy. Pohatu squirmed in his seat, bored. He didn't care about the history of the school, he just wanted to get cracking with the combat training.

"…No doubt you are all eager to get started, but we have a few administrative tasks to attend to before that can happen. To begin with, you will all be assigned armour and weapons. These are tools, not toys, and you are expected to respect them, keep them in good condition, and above all, never to use them on another Toa in training unless in supervised training sessions…"

Gali sat with eyes closed and palms resting on her thighs. She soaked in all of what was going on around her. She was keenly aware of Vakama speaking, and dully aware of a small buzz coming from the speakers where his voice emanated from. She soaked in all the information she could through as many senses as she could to better remember this experience later.


	2. Choosing Subjects

Enjoy :)

* * *

Vakama took his leave and two other Turaga made smaller speeches, one speaking in an odd combination of clicks and whistles who was translated by a Matoran assistant. The students were then directed to the armoury. The armoury was in a separate building to the main hall where Vakama had made his speech. To reach the forge, where the armour and weapons were made, the students walked down a glass walled hallway, lined with racks of scarred weapons and dented and broken armour. Under each rack was a metal plate inscribed with the name of the Toa the weapons it carried had belonged to, and why they were now resting in a school hallway. For many of the weapons, it was simply that they were no longer useable after being damaged in battle. There were a few, however – particularly the damaged helmets – where the Toa had in fact perished in battle, and the other Toa of the team had given the helmet to the school in order to inspire other young Toa. Just before the huge doors to there were six sets of complete, pristine armour. The armour towered over the young Toa at over 7 feet in height. Vakama opened the doors to the forge and saw the students gaping in awe at the intimidating armour. Vakama grinned. He coughed, and instantly the attention of all the Toa in training was on him. He pointed to the red suit, which was accompanied with an intricately decorated disc-slinger. The helmet had _Huna_ stamped onto it on a lower corner of the jaw.

"That one was mine," he said, causing the jaws of the students to crack as they hit the floor, "those were the days…" He led the students into the forge. An awed silence fell over the group as they surveyed the massive foundries and fires which powered them. "This is where your armour and weapons will be made, and, if necessary, repaired. Some of you may find an affinity for this place and choose to spend more time here." Looking at Kopaka, who was sweating and looking singularly uncomfortable in the heat, he quipped "some of you may choose never to return." He walked around all the machines, giving the students a quick tour of the room and its use. At some machines, there were senior students repairing or upgrading their armour. "You will have to visit this room at least once every six months, to get your armour adjusted. You saw the suits outside. Our training regime and diet produces bodies that would make a professional body builder jealous."

Kopaka was flushed red, a stark change from his usual ghostly pale face. His hair was a very fair blonde, almost white. He hated this room and wished they could move on. He knew the engineering and mechanics workshop at this school was astounding and wanted desperately to be allowed to work there. Happily, Vakama was saying that not all students would make their own armour. In fact, not many would. Kopaka was not the only one uncomfortable in the heat. Many others were flushed with the heat and a few looked almost faint. Vakama indicated another Turaga standing at doors opposite from the ones that the students had come in through. Vakama indicated that those who wished to stay in this room could and those that wanted to move on to another area could also. Kopaka immediately chose to move on to the next room and stalked over to the other Turaga. Tahu and a few others stayed behind. Vakama began to show them the finer details of the room and exactly how to use all the machines. The other Turaga was dressed in dark, soft clothing, a stark contrast to the stiff leather apron other protective gear that Vakama wore. He led them through another corridor, this one lined with stone tablets. He did not speak, but indicated that they were to pass through the double doors at the end of the corridor. As they did, the loud gaggle of students drew angry glares from the occupants of the room. The room was large, but it was difficult to gauge the exact size – the room was filled with floor to ceiling shelves of books. The darkly dressed Turaga moved absolutely silently to the front of the group of students and motioned for silence. He then whispered very quietly what Kopaka presumed was an introduction, as the only word he caught from the whisper was 'Whenua.' Whenua pulled pamphlets from a recess of his jacket and handed them around. Kopaka skimmed the information it contained. The pamphlet told him all about the Mata Nui Academy Archives, maintained by the academy staff and students on behalf of the city of Metru Nui. Onua looked around eagerly. He scanned the shelves and with each title he read he became more and more awed at the collection contained within the walls of the Archives. When Whenua motioned for the group to move onto the next room, he and a couple of others stayed, though not many.

Lewa didn't even bother to read the pamphlet on the Archives. He knew that sitting in a dusty library all day without light and with barely any air was not for him. He shifted impatiently from foot to foot and sighed audibly with relief when Whenua indicated that those who wanted could move on. The next Turaga waited respectfully until the last student had left the library and closed the door before enthusiastically introducing himself as Matau. Matau led the students out of the building and down a long gravel path. At the end of the path was a thick, humid jungle. As they walked, Matau talked excitedly about all the unique plants and other organisms lived in the jungle. Lewa got one look at the towering trees and knew that was where he wanted to stay. He pushed through the gaggle of students to be next to the excitable Turaga as he talked. A second Turaga met the students at the edge of the jungle. Matau led a group of students which included Lewa down a small side path and the other Turaga led the rest of the group down a wide track which, after a few hundred meters, opened onto a lagoon. The lagoon had white, sandy shores and the waves lapped peacefully on the sand. The Turaga introduced herself as Nokama, the zoologist of the Academy. Gali's ears pricked up. She had a soft spot for all animals. Nokama walked them through the aquatic area of the wildlife reserve, and spoke about the other areas. The Academy had either a sample or records on every single species that walked, crawled swam or flew on Metru Nui. Nokama led a group of students, of which Gali was one, away to where a group of seniors was crouching at the edge of the lagoon. The rest of the students stood awkwardly, wondering where to go next. After a few minutes, one brave young Toa decided to follow after Nokama and ask where they were to go next, but before he left the others, another Turaga ran up to greet the group.

"Sorry I'm late," he boomed in a loud, cheerful voice, "but there we had a skyscraper collapse in Le-Metru and I had to deal with the aftermath of that. Luckily, no-one was hurt – we had warned them, and they had evacuated the area – but they still blamed me." The students looked concernedly at the Turaga. He laughed. "I'm just kidding. I was really into the song on the radio and totally forgot." The students relaxed and Pohatu even chuckled. The Turaga heard, and commented, "thank you, whoever you are, true appreciator of comedy." Pohatu chuckled again, though he tried to suppress it. The Turaga introduced himself as Onewa and led the students away from the lagoon and out of the jungle. They were led to an area which looked not unlike a stone quarry. There were shade-covers set up, where senior students and Turaga sat and pored over what looked like building schematics. There were a few who were hacking blocks of stone from the quarry, and a few others were carving the blocks into various shapes. Pohatu flexed his fingers expectantly, until a particularly intricate building design caught his eye. He joined the group of senior students discussing it and watched, silently. When the next Turaga came to collect the remaining students, Pohatu ripped himself from the discussion and joined Onewa.

Kopaka noticed that a Matoran helper followed the next Turaga and recognised them both from the speeches earlier. The Matoran introduced himself as Matoro and The Turaga beside him as Nuju. The pair led the small group of remaining Toa into a warehouse so massive that Kopaka could only barely see the senior students at the other end. Haphazardly arranged throughout the warehouse were shelves. Stacked on the shelves were electrical and mechanical components of varying size and complexity. Kopaka noticed the chill in the large warehouse and figured that heating a building this large must be impossible, especially with its concrete floor. There were students seated at tables, silently and intensely staring at various circuit boards, laptop screens and other mechanical and electronic wonders. Nuju started clicking and whistling, and Matoro had started to translate, but Kopaka had made his mind up. This was where he was going to stay.


	3. Chilly Night, Frosty Morning

I want to thank you all so much for taking the time to read this fic. I was not expecting anywhere near as many people to look at it, nor this fast! you really made my day :) thanks!

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The students, once they had familiarised themselves with the environment in which they would be spending most of their time at the Academy, were shown to the area where they would spend another great deal of time: their dormitories. The rooms were small, with two beds, one wardrobe, one chest of drawers and one desk. The students were allocated rooms based on their preferred environments. A student would be allocated a room with a student who chose a closely related environment, but not one from the same environment. Because of this, when Kopaka stalked into his room, carrying his duffel bag full of clothes and possessions, he was presented with a muscular, dark skinned student, stripped to the waist and doing push-ups on the small amount of floor space between the beds. Kopaka frowned. Exercise was not one of his favourite activities. On hearing the door open, the prone form on the floor rolled over and seeing another student enter, he sat up and smiled. Kopaka shut the door and made his way over to the bed that didn't have stuff all over it, acknowledging the other boy with a terse nod. The boy on the floor frowned.

"Is that it?" he asked slightly miffed by the complete lack of attention given by the other Toa in training. Kopaka was sorting his clothing between what needed to go in the wardrobe and the chest of drawers.

"You'll get used to it," replied Kopaka, not bothering to turn around. The other boy blinked with surprise. This was not how he had imagined his roommate would be.

"Well, uh, anyway," he began awkwardly, "I'm Onua…" Kopaka paused what he was doing for a moment and turned to consider Onua. The boy was well built, but a little squat. His head was shaved very closely, but stubble was poking through on his jaw and his scalp. He had startlingly bright emerald eyes, and his face had the wide, shallow nose and full lips typical of most African-Americans. Kopaka, by stark contrast was very pale and thin. He had a narrow, angular face, with his pale blond hair styled in a way similar to thousands of other youths: buzzed very short on the sides and around the back, tapering out until it was about an inch and a half on top, which he had gelled up at the front. Onua tried to hold eye contact with Kopaka, but it felt like Kopaka was reaching through his eyes and pulling out his soul. He let his eyes flick down. Kopaka turned back to sorting his clothes and other possessions.

"Kopaka" He replied, as an afterthought. Onua was a little off put by the icy demeanour of Kopaka, but he was happy it wasn't the other way around. Truth be told, Onua was usually quiet and reserved, so he was willing to leave the other Toa in training be. Kopaka opened the wardrobe and found it almost empty. He looked at Onua who shrugged and pulled on a sports shirt. Kopaka smiled. "I ain't even mad," he quipped as he hung all his shirts and pants up. Onua struggled to keep a straight face. _Perhaps this guy isn't as cold as he seems._

* * *

That night, Kopaka waited until he was sure Onua was asleep before rising and going to his bag. He carefully and quietly rummaged around and after a few seconds withdrew a sketchbook and a few pencils. He stalked quietly over to the desk and put the sketchbook and pencils down. He flipped through the pages of the sketchbook until he found what he was looking for. The page was covered in various different shapes and words, difficult to make out in the low light. Kopaka didn't want to wake Onua by turning on a light, but he already had developed fairly good night vision – this wasn't his first late night sketch. Even so, he had to squint and lean in close to the paper to make out the finer details of the drawing. The shapes were of all different kinds and sizes, describing a confusion of lenses, cylinders, microchips and other electronic parts. Kopaka walked over to his pants from the day and from the pocket pulled a list of letters and numbers referring to part numbers from the electronics and mechanics workshops. He checked the list against the parts on the page and was delighted to find that all the electronic and mechanical parts he needed for his project could be found in the workshop. The structural parts – the lenses, the casings – would have to be sourced somewhere else, but this did not douse Kopaka's excitement. He flipped to an empty page and began to draw.

* * *

Two hours and six pages later Kopaka finally put his pencil down and surveyed his work. The pages were covered in various different types and designs of armour. Some were detailed, with measurements and suggested materials of construction, while others were vague and crossed through angrily. Most of the armour that Kopaka decided to keep followed the same theme: minimalist, favouring agility and speed over protection. Kopaka had also integrated some intricate camouflage techniques into the armour. What was lacking from the armour was a helmet. He had replaced the helmet with a simple balaclava. He had other plans for what would wear on his head. Kopaka finally crawled into his bed at around four thirty in the morning.

* * *

Two hours later, Kopaka was woken by a loud thump. Instantly he was alert, though he could feel last night's activities dragging against his dexterity and reaction time. He looked around and from where he was sitting, on his bed, he couldn't see anything which might have caused the thump. Finally, the sounds of exertion forced their way into his head and he looked down into the gap between the two beds. Onua was again bare chested and working out on the floor. Kopaka frowned and almost snapped at the other boy, but he realised that if he had been asleep the whole night, being woken at six thirty would not have been so jarring. Instead, he stumbled out of bed, bleary eyed. He wiped the fatigue from his eyes as best he could. He slipped a pale blue shirt on and grey jeans. His white hair stood up from his head and he attempted to smooth it down. Kopaka glared at Onua's quivering back and steeled himself to deal with the day.


	4. Waking Up

Tahu was woken by a similar sound and at a similar time. He, however, had not been awake all night, so when he saw his roommate, Pohatu rising and falling slowly, he felt a flare of jealousy. He dropped to the floor and started to pump his arms, lifting and lowering his body. After a time, Tahu realised that Pohatu was aware of the other boy working out. The intensity in the room cranked up as the boys matched their rhythm, rising and falling together. They matched each other for five, ten, twenty minutes, until Tahu began to slow. Pohatu kept his pace consistent. Eventually Tahu collapsed, exhausted. Pohatu stopped when this happened and sat up, grinning.

"You need to turn your hands inwards slightly, and use all the muscles in your back, not just your arms," he offered. Breathless, Tahu glared at the other boy. Pohatu simply laughed. "Just a suggestion." He stood and wiped himself down with a towel before applying liberal amounts of deodorant. He picked up his bag and with a jaunty, "See you," he walked out, leaving Tahu to stew on the floor. Tahu picked himself up a little slower, cleaning himself up and dressing, before picking up his bag and stalking off to breakfast.

* * *

The Turaga were excellent judges of people, and so the pairings of Kopaka with Onua and Tahu with Pohatu were completely intentional. Also intentional was the decision to give Lewa a room on his own. As soon as he woke he was instantly awake. Again disappointed to find himself alone, he made up for it by talking to himself. He had an interesting way of talking. He would edit his speech as he spoke, meaning that he often spoke words almost on top of each other.

"Gonna have lots of joy-fun today! Gonna meet stacks of new Toa-brothers!" He grabbed his phone from the floor and put his headphones in. Selecting a song, he danced around the small room miming playing the guitar. The song ended and Lewa went to his wardrobe. From the back he pulled out a guitar case. He unlocked it and pulled out a beautiful White Falcon electric guitar. The White Falcon was massive: almost as tall as Lewa and weighing several kilograms. He unwound a cord from his small amp and plugged into the guitar. He started the next song on his phone and began to play along. It was a light pop rock anthem, with a great driving melody and a sweet solo. Lewa sung along in the chorus. He had a high, sweet voice. These skills of singing and playing guitar, added together with his lopsided smile planted in the middle of a smooth face framed with light brown hair, had made him the centre of a lot of female attention at his Matoran School. The song ended and he started onto the next one. A slight departure from the first in that the guitar was much more aggressive, so Lewa turned up his amp. About a minute later, there were angry knocks on his door, quickly followed by knocks the two walls that did not have a window or a door in them. Lewa, having turned up his Amp and headphones, didn't hear them, and kept playing happily.

* * *

Gali had also been allocated a room to herself, though for different reasons to Lewa. While Lewa was happily shredding up a storm in his room, Gali was seated quietly in the small amount of floor space. She sat with her legs crossed and palms resting on her knees. She breathed slowly, paying very close attention to the speed and depth of her breaths. She tried to make them all consistent. If something distracted her, it would be moved aside to be dealt with later. Most distractions ended themselves in that they were sudden sounds. Thoughts that threatened to break her concentration were simply filed carefully for her attention later. After almost twenty minutes practicing this meditation, Gali rose, feeling more refreshed after the twenty minutes than after the eight and a half hours of sleep she had had. She took her bag and laid it on her bed. She then went to her desk and studiously selected the books and tools she would need for the day. She then put them all in her bag and, after double checking that she had forgotten nothing, left for breakfast.


	5. Breakfast

Huge thanks to BionicleFuzzyMelon for commenting. You made my day :)

* * *

Kopaka was almost overwhelmed when he walked into the canteen for breakfast. He was already predisposed to avoid crowds of people, creating as they did vast amounts of noise and difficulty moving through them. This morning particularly though, after his night-time sketch, he was really not in the mood for dealing with people. He noted his roommate was sitting with two other boys and decided to avoid that table. He wound his way through the crowd, trying his best to avoid eye contact. Eventually making his way to the front, he grabbed a bowl of cereal and made his way to an empty table in a corner. From there, he sat facing toward the crowd. Though he did not like to be _in _crowds, what Kopaka did love was observing crowds. They functioned as one single organism as well as a collection of dozens of organisms. Kopaka noted that already groups were being formed. There were a few other outliers who, like himself, sat alone, but others soon sat at these tables and introduced themselves. One young man tried this with Kopaka.

"Hey, dude, how's it going?" Kopaka turned to the young man with his stark eyes – electric blue with flecks of white – and hit him with an icy cold glare that would have cowed a Kane Ra bull. A frown flickered across the other young man's face. Noticing this, Kopaka replied completely unapologetically.

"Sorry, people skills aren't my thing." To illustrate this he pointedly turned back to observing the crowd and eating his breakfast. Another young man ran up to the first and pulled him away, but the first boy was reluctant to leave.

"Don't think I'll forget this, Frosty. You're lucky I don't teach you some respect." Kopaka studiously ignored the comment and continued to scan the crowd. Just before the boy left, he leant in close to Kopaka. "Aromak. Remember the name." When the pair had left, Kopaka smirked. _Really, Aromak? I'd like to see you try and teach me respect. _That said, he was glad the young man had left the table.

Onua was having much more fun than Kopaka, embroiled in an intense debate about kolhii with Tahu and Pohatu. Onua and Pohatu agreed that the Po-Metru team was the best in the league, whereas Tahu contested that the Ta-Metru team would win the next championship. The discussion rose in tone into an argument and Onua sat back, not wanting to take part. While waiting for the storm to pass, he cast his gaze casually around the room until his eyes lit upon Kopaka in a corner. He felt a little guilty about not sitting with the icy young man, but figured that Kopaka would probably be happier on his own.

Gali, on the other hand, sincerely wished that she was sitting by herself. Lewa had swaggered over to her table and was now trying – and failing – to flirt with her. His strange speech was endearing, and he was cute, but he really was coming on too strong and Gali wished he would go away. Gali's friends were not helping, smiling shyly at Lewa and giggling whenever he did his strange speech quirk. She politely dead-ended all his advances and attempted to steer the course of the conversation away from where Lewa was trying to take it. She managed to get him talking about music and he was surprisingly versatile. He loved all genres.

"The most fun," he declared, swinging back on his chair and grinning slightly, "Are the heavy-loud songs. Those are the best to play alo—cover." Gali commented that she preferred folksy, acoustic songs and Lewa commented that he could play one of those for her. She politely declined and looked for something else to talk about.

* * *

After breakfast, Kopaka made his way to the electronics and mechanics warehouse. The school did not have a daily class structure. Students were depended upon to make their way to where they needed to be to learn what they needed. Most students spent most of their time in one particular area, but found their way into other areas from time to time. For example, Kopaka had a plan for a machine that he would build that he planned on testing in the sparring arena the next day. He walked through the seemingly endless shelves, looking for the different parts he would need. Eventually, he found that he needed more than he could carry, so he dumped what he had on a table. The table, he was delighted to see, was equipped with containers filled with common parts like lengths of wire and resistors. There was also electricians tape, wire clippers, pliers and a soldering iron. Having claimed the table, he made a few more trips to different shelves, bringing back more and more parts. When he finally had all the parts he needed he withdrew his sketchbook from his bag and laid it on the table. It had an exploded diagram of how all the parts would fit together to create what he needed. He switched on the soldering iron and set to work.

* * *

Kopaka stopped when he realised that he was alone in the warehouse. He looked around and saw the only light in the warehouse was coming from his laptop. Yawning massively, he decided that he would test his invention now and head to bed. If he hurried, he wouldn't even be late. He pressed the key on his laptop to send the program to his invention. A light pulsed, indicating that the program was loaded. Kopaka pressed another key to start the program. For a few seconds, nothing happened except for a pleasant humming and a slight shimmering of the air around the device, which Kopaka found encouraging. Suddenly, everything metal on the table was flung violently from the table, with the exception of the invention. Luckily there were no metal components between Kopaka and the invention, so none were flung into him, but he had to jump from his seat to catch his laptop. He ripped the cable from the laptop and the machine stopped humming. Kopaka saved the program on his laptop. It was a failure, certainly, but promising. He then looked at all of the electronic components scattered on the floor. There were hundreds of tiny little resistors and strands of wire. Kopaka sighed. All of them would have to be picked up and sorted into their respective boxes.

* * *

Onua gave up trying to stay awake waiting for Kopaka at around one thirty in the morning. When Kopaka stumbled in much, much later than that, he was sound asleep. Kopaka carefully deposited his bag on the ground. He took his invention out of it and looked for a place where he could keep it safe. His eyes lit on the wardrobe. Onua never opened it. Kopaka smiled blearily, happy with his sleep deprived idea. He put the device in a corner of the wardrobe, and threw his shirt on top of it for good measure. He then managed to change – barely – and slide into bed. He was asleep almost instantly.


	6. Gemstones in the Earth

Another Thanks, this time to Toa Allanon. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment :)

Also, this chapter has elements of why I rated this fic T. Be warned.

Enjoy :)

* * *

The next few days followed a similar routine. At six thirty, Onua would thump to the floor and begin his workout session. Kopaka would rise with varying degrees of lucidity, depending on how late he had been working or sketching the night before. For a few mornings, Kopaka simply glared at the rippling ebony back that rose and fell slowly before dressing and storming out. After a few days however, he noted that there were strips of skin on Onua's back that were slightly paler than the rest of his skin. Kopaka had a sneaking suspicion about what those were and he unconsciously pawed at his left shoulder. He wanted to know if he was right, but if he was right, it wasn't something he could simply ask about. So he tried a roundabout route.

"Why do you work out?" he commented suddenly. Onua lowered himself one more time and then rose again before he rolled onto his side and looked up at Kopaka. Onua smiled.

"Why do you stay out until the crack of dawn each night?" Onua replied, a mischievous grin on his face. Kopaka narrowed his eyes. His work was his, and would not be tampered with by Onua, or any other. Nor would he allow himself to be led into a situation where he worked for anyone else. There was something deeper about why he chose to remain alone in the workshop after everyone else had left, but he didn't even fully understand that feeling himself, let alone want to discuss it with anyone. His previously neutral expression turned frigid.

"Personal reasons," he stated matter-of-factly. Onua's smile turned into a grin, stretched across his face.

"Oh, really," he asked, deliberately misinterpreting Kopaka's ambiguous answer. He leaned in toward Kopaka and winked. A ghost of a smile passed across Kopaka's face, and it softened. Onua followed up on his advantage. He leapt up onto his bed and sat cross-legged facing Kopaka, who was sitting on his own bed. "She must be really something to keep you out _that_ late." He grinned. Kopaka felt the smile return and didn't resist it.

"I wish," he commented simply, before repeating his earlier enquiry, "but seriously, why every morning?" Onua grew serious. He looked around, as if someone might over-hear his response. Kopaka was intrigued. He was expecting the default fitness responses, but it looked like he may have struck energised protodermis with his question. Quietly, and while staring at the ground, Onua coughed, and then started to answer.

"When I was just a matoran, I used to be much smaller. I was..." here he looked up and laughed nervously, "I was the goofy black kid. But after a while, some of the more – how do I put this – _obsolete_ of the other matoran noticed that I was the goofy _black_ kid." He paused here for a moment to collect his thoughts. Kopaka was completely taken aback. Surely in this day and age, racism was dead and buried. Onua resumed his story. "It started subtly. Just an 'accidental' shove in the corridor, a kick to the shins in kolhii, but after a while, it started to become bigger and bigger until they were –" he cut himself off, his head in his hands. Kopaka was starting to feel uncomfortable. He was barely able to deal with his own problems, he certainly could not be expected to respond appropriately to Onua's sob story. More for his own sake than Onua's he offered an out.

"Onua, brother, you don't have to tell me." Onua shook his head.

"I have to get it out," he replied, choking back a sob. Kopaka braced himself. Onua continued. "It got so that they would beat me, routinely. They would beat me, and then wait for the bruises to heal, and then beat me again. One time," he sobbed again, his eyes wide with remembered fear, "one time, someone brought a piece of rope. They knotted the ends and took turns whipping me. I just submitted. It was easier that way. I didn't even realise I was bleeding until a healer strapped me to a stretcher and I was rushed to hospital." He paused and looked at Kopaka full in the face. Kopaka prided himself on his discipline of gaze, but the look in Onua's eyes was so _real, _so intense and unrehearsed, unlike the expressions that Kopaka summoned. Kopaka dropped his eyes after a few seconds. "I've seen you watching me. You must have noticed my scars." Onua paused, rallying himself. He coughed and when he spoke, he sounded intense, honest and dangerously powerful. "From that moment on, I vowed I would never let anyone hurt me ever again." Kopaka sat in stunned silence. That was not what he had been expecting.


	7. Existential Crisis

Before we get started, I wanted to let you know that for each previous chapter, I was halfway through writing the next chapter when I posted it. This time, that's not the case. Just letting you know cos it'll probably be a few days before the next chapter and subsequent chapters.

Enjoy :)

(Oh btw, if the science doesn't make sense, that's cos it's wrong hahaha shhh don't tell my physics teacher. :) )

* * *

Kopaka sat down at the table in the corner that was now generally accepted as his. He considered Onua's story. It weighed heavily against his soul. Kopaka had originally written off Onua as a disinteresting fitness freak. True, he worked in the archives, so he had some depth, but for what Kopaka saw of him, he was just another body. Now, though. Now he had a history and motivation. Kopaka stopped eating for a second. Onua had a motivation. He had a reason for what he did, he had a reason for becoming a Toa. What was Kopaka's reason? Kopaka had been an outlier at his school, certainly, but he had never been physically abused. He had no motivation of the magnitude of Onua's. Kopaka frowned slightly. Why was he so cold? Why was he at the academy? He nervously pushed the questions aside and resumed observing the seething crowd.

Tahu sat with Onua and Pohatu again, but he was only barely paying attention to what they were saying. He was lost in his own thoughts, staring vaguely at another table. Seated at the table was a group of girls, of which Gali was one. She laughed generously at a joke made by one of the other girls and Tahu smiled slightly.

Kopaka noted the direction of Tahu's gaze and filed it away. It may be useful later.

* * *

Kopaka walked toward the forge, carrying his sketchbook. He could feel the intense heat even from outside the building. He opened the door and he was smacked in the face with an offensive wall of dry, hot air. He took a second to acclimatise before diving in. He was here to give his armour designs to someone for them to make. He would not spend any more time than he absolutely had to. He approached Turaga Vakama who was lounging behind a desk and told him he needed a forge and its operator. Vakama smiled and indicated a forge that Tahu was working at.

"You should be proud. You're one of the first of the students who don't hang out here to come back." Kopaka did not feel proud. What he felt was hot and uncomfortable. He was sweating profusely. He approached Tahu and introduced himself, though in his usually abrupt manner. He offered the sketchbook to the other boy, who considered the drawings. Kopaka waited impatiently. Kopaka detected a slight lessening of the burning heat and turned to see the door open and Gali walk in with a roll of paper under her arm. Kopaka turned quickly back to face Tahu and found that the other boy was staring wistfully after her. Kopaka was cheered slightly. Tahu looked at Kopaka with a little greed in his eyes. Kopaka narrowed his, but inside he smirked. This was an opportunity. Tahu's greed could be exploited. Especially if Kopaka's intuition was on target.

"I have an invention that I'm working on which you may be interested in. It will shield you from attack from a metallic weapon when activated. The invention, in return for the armour, as specified." Tahu frowned, considering the offer. Kopaka waited a beat, and then launched into his next pitch. "I can add a sweetener." Tahu raised his eyebrows, intrigued. "In return for another, small addition to the armour." Tahu was trying to hide his interest, but not succeeding. "I'm also working on another device for which I need same casings cast. In return for this, and the armour, I will get you a date with Gali." Tahu blustered, ostensibly outraged at the suggestion, but after a few sentences he noticed that Kopaka remained unmoved. Tahu dropped the act and looked around suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes, which flicked to Gali for a moment and noticing her laughing with one of the other forge workers, he made up his mind.

"Can you do that?" he asked incredulously. Kopaka arranged his face into a confident smile, though his stomach churned.

"Of course," he answered. _Liar!_ His mind screamed, but he put that thought aside. He would deal with that later. "Payment to be exchanged for finished goods. No armour or casing, no date or shielding device." Tahu nodded eagerly. Kopaka flipped to the relevant pages of his sketchbook and discussed the logistical details of the armour with Tahu. He ripped out the relevant pages – re-drawings, the originals stayed in the book – and tried not to walk too quickly as he left the forge.

* * *

Kopaka whistled as he walked, an uncharacteristically overt display of happiness. Two of his pet projects were falling into place and, while he would be parting with one, he would be easily able to rebuild it. He needed to finalise the shielding device before he gave it to Tahu – that night in the workshop was one of only a few catastrophic malfunctions. He was already planning the changes he would make when he opened the door to his shared room to find Onua inside, holding the device in his hands. Kopaka's eyes shot open wide.

"Careful!" he cried, more worried about his delicate contraption than the invasion of his privacy. He slammed the door shut and stalked over to Onua, who appeared not to have noticed Kopaka's enraged entrance. Onua lowered the device and looked at Kopaka. His face was stretched into a grin.

"This is really cool," he cried enthusiastically, "a kind of magnetic repulsion device, yeah?" Kopaka was not sure whether to still be angry, or to be surprised that Onua knew what the device was. He decided to put his anger on hold for a second.

"Yeah, it generates magnetic fields that switch between positive and negative charge. The idea is that when you introduce a piece of metal into one of the fields, say a sword, and say a positive field, then all the negative charges of the metal get pulled to one end –"

"But wouldn't that cause the sword to be attracted to the device?" Onua interrupted, his face screwed up in confusion.

"If you kept the field at the same charge," Kopaka answered, "yes it would. However, if you quickly switch to a negative field, all the negative charges in the end of the sword will be repelled, effectively deflecting the sword, if you time it right." Onua's eyes widened. In his opinion, Kopaka had made a significant breakthrough.

"That's so cool!" he declared, "have you got it to work?" Kopaka smirked, remembering the many, _many_ times he had had to pick up all the wires and resistors from when they had either been flung from the device or drawn toward it.

"Kind of," he replied, still smiling, "it still needs a little work." Suddenly, a realisation dawned on Onua.

"This is why you've been out so late!" he accused, gesturing with the device at Kopaka. Kopaka flinched at his delicate project being waved through the air. Onua noticed the look and handed the device to Kopaka, ginning sheepishly. He didn't give up on his question though. "It is, isn't it?" Kopaka was about to confirm Onua's suspicion, but he paused. Onua's eyes widened as he realised there was more to Kopaka's late nights. "This and a girl?" he quipped, smiling. Kopaka chuckled, but then grew serious.

"What you told me this morning, it made me think." A cloud passed across Onua's brow. It was clear the scars on his body were not the only ones. Kopaka couldn't Imagine what it must have been like to go through what Onua had, and then to talk about it. "I was an outlier at my matoran school. I was never popular enough to draw attention," Kopaka glanced significantly at Onua, "or unfortunate enough. I was alone. I thought that I wanted people to notice me, I thought I needed to prove that I was _someone_. So I started to work at what I was good at – electronics. After a while, I got the attention that I wanted… that I thought I wanted." Kopaka paused, trying to think of the words to explain how he felt. Onua tried to help.

"You thought you wanted?" That kick-started something in Kopaka's brain.

"Yeah, I thought that if I could prove to people that I was something, that I would be happy. I did that, but I never really felt happy. So I receded from popularity. I realise now that it was never about proving anything to anyone else, it was about proving it to myself. That's why I stay up late, alone. That's why I came here. To prove to myself that I could." Onua sat back on his bed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hells man, that's deep." Kopaka smiled.

"You think that's deep?" He replied, "Were you even listening to yourself this morning?" Onua smiled slightly.

"Touché." A silence stretched between the pair. It was not awkward, but it was charged with something. Onua broke the silence gently. "It seems we are both here for reasons we would perhaps not have chosen." Kopaka considered this. Did anyone become a Toa without being called by something greater?

* * *

Thank you all again for taking the time to read this Fic. Each view is one more than I expected. If you want to read more of my work, head over to .com where I post all my original works, and some opinion pieces.

Thanks for putting up with my shameless advertising and have a great insert relevant time of day (Morning, Day, Afternoon, Evening)

:)


	8. Flowers

To BionicleFuzzyMelon, be careful what you wish for... Gali x Kopaka, as requested ;)

Enjoy :)

* * *

Kopaka woke the next morning to the familiar sound of Onua thumping to the ground. Instead of glaring at him, Kopaka wished him a good morning, to which Onua may have grunted a reply. Or he may have just grunted. Kopaka felt more refreshed than he had in the whole of his time at the academy. He had decided to forgo working on his device to instead spend time talking with Onua. The pair had grown close, and Kopaka had gone to bed at a reasonable time. He still felt like there was something he had forgotten. He got up and walked over to his bag, withdrawing his sketchbook. He had made a revision to his armour and wanted to tell Tahu about it. Suddenly, he remembered what he had forgotten. He had promised Tahu a date with Gali! How the hell was he going to organise that. Kopaka looked slyly at Onua.

"Hey, brother, you remember how you thought I was staying up with a girl?" Onua stopped what he was doing and sat up immediately. This could be important. He grinned.

"No way," he said incredulously. Kopaka studiously ignored the at once admiring and disbelieving expression on Onua's face.

"Say," he began, slowly, choosing his words carefully, "I want to convince a girl to go on a date?" Onua smiled. "Hypothetically," Kopaka rushed to add. Onua's smile grew wider.

"Well," he said, exuding an air of absolute confidence and experience. "I've got no idea." Kopaka did a double take.

"Wait, seriously?" he asked, incredulous. Onua shrugged.

"Yeah," he replied, "I never really took too much interest in girls. I was always busy trying not too… well, you know…" he trailed off awkwardly. He picked up though, and continued. "I guess it would depend on the girl, you know; I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all kinda deal with girls." Kopaka frowned nervously. He didn't have the time or social skills to get to know Gali well enough.

"But surely, there's something you can do for them or give them that they all like, right?" he asked, desperately? Onua's face curled into an uncertain grimace. Then it unwound back into a cheeky smile.

"Depends on the girl, like I said," he replied, suggestively. Kopaka glared at Onua.

"You want me to tell you who?" he asked, wanting to make sure he was not misinterpreting Onua's words and tone. Kopaka didn't want to give this away unless it was absolutely necessary. It was starting to sound like it might be, though. Onua nodded with an exaggeratedly grave look on his face. Kopaka narrowed his eyes. Sighing, he gave in.

"Alright," he sighed, "but only because you're my brother." Onua grinned. Kopaka snarled. He continued. "Gali." Onua's eyes grew wide.

"Hells, bro, if you're gonna go for it, might as well go all out!" Gali, to her absolute ignorance, drew the admiring and jealous glances of both boys and girls respectively. Among the less respectful of the guys, she was considered one of, if not the most desirable girl at the Academy. Kopaka kept the snarl on his face, though he softened it slightly.

"You think I'm punching above my weight?" he asked, looking Onua dead in the eye. Onua grinned.

"Bro, ain't nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it," he responded cheerfully. Kopaka correctly interpreted this vague comment.

"Screw you." Onua simply laughed.

"Flowers are always a hit, I know that much," he responded, showing Kopaka mercy. Kopaka's eyes narrowed, determined. _Flowers. Okay, I can do that… Maybe._

* * *

The next morning, Kopaka carried his bag into the breakfast hall gingerly. It had very precious cargo. He got his breakfast and ate it quickly, psyching himself up for what he had to do. Eventually, he could delay it no longer. He got up and walked, slowly, over Gali's table. He sincerely regretted promising to Tahu that this would happen, but it was done now, and he was already half way to the table. His approach brought murmurs of surprise from the girls on the table. Kopaka rarely moved from his table unless he was leaving the hall. His cheeks flushed red as he realised they were all watching him expectantly. Kopaka took a breath and berated himself internally – _it's just another challenge you have to overcome. It is not difficult. Fear is a perception of danger. There is no danger. Therefore, do not fear._ He opened his bag and produced a bunch of brightly coloured flowers. He smiled as he presented them to Gali, but then he actually looked at them, and realised that their stint in the bag had crushed them. He flushed even deeper than he had previously. Gali smiled kindly. This was not the first time the guys of the Academy had tried to endear themselves to her, but Kopaka had a naïve charm about him. He stammered an apology about the state of the flowers. Gali said she thought it was the thought that counted. Suddenly, Kopaka remembered why he was there.

"Oh, they're not from me," he hurried to assure her, "they're from a friend, I promised him I would give these to you." Gali raised her eyebrow. She stood and stepped close to Kopaka, grabbing his hand. She looked into his eyes and said, very softly,

"Well, tell your friend, I thought he was very sweet, and I'd love to have lunch with him today." Gali's voice suggested that she thought Kopaka was merely using this 'friend' as an excuse. Kopaka gaped. _This was not how this was supposed to go! What am I going to tell Tahu?_ He managed to gasp something about letting his friend know before leaving the table and trying not to run out of the room.

* * *

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you set up a Kopaka/Gali/Tahu triangle. I hope ya'll are taking notes. The number of poor Kopaka/Gali/Tahu is too damn high!


	9. Eavesdropping

Hi guys :D

Enjoy

* * *

Kopaka stalked off to the Electronics and mechanics workshop. In his head, over and over, he kept seeing what had happened in the breakfast hall. _Did I just get myself a date?_ He asked himself, horrified. _Not only that, but a date promised to someone else,_ another part of his brain replied unhelpfully. Kopaka put the thought aside. He needed to concentrate on his work. He would deal with the problem of Gali at lunch.

Meanwhile, Tahu pored over Kopaka's designs. His armour included a lot of separate pieces, designed for mobility rather than camouflage. Usually, Tahu would prefer making armour like this, because it didn't need finely detailed rivets or moving parts. However, Kopaka wanted his armour made of a high grade of polyethylene. Polyethylene was a plastic that, once set, was absolutely rigid and capable of taking a lot of punishment while remaining light. The problem with that was, Tahu couldn't heat it and beat it to shape like metal. He would have to melt down the plastic and pour it into a mould. To make a mould, he would first have to make a replica of the piece of armour, then make a box for the mould, to hold the silicon, and then put the replica half in a block of clay and pour the silic—the process was involved, and took a long time. It was slightly outside the realms of his experience, but Tahu wasn't going to tell Kopaka he couldn't make the armour. The reward was worth asking for help.

* * *

Tahu trudged into the quarry and looked around. There were dozens of students, some who were mining, some carving, some poring over documents on tables, but all moving slightly. The slight movement made it very difficult to see any individual in the crowd. At the breakfast table one morning, Pohatu had showed Tahu and Onua photos of a replica pistol that he had made. The pistol was made of a flexible rubber. Apparently, Pohatu made a lot of his favourite props from movies, and was quite experienced with the process. Surely he must have had to make a mould over the course of his career? A booming voice greeted him from within the crowd.

"Tahu, Brother, come here!" Tahu looked around but could still not see Pohatu. The other young man detached himself from a group discussing the blueprint for a new skyscraper in Ko-Metro. "Or I'll come, to you, no matter," he laughed. Pohatu approached, grinning. Tahu looked around and decided that he didn't want the rest of the quarry workers to overhear the conversation. He indicated his head to the forest and the pair started to walk down the gravel path.

* * *

Pohatu grinned so wide his cheeks hurt.

"Let me get this straight." He stopped walking and turned to face Tahu. "You are building for Kopaka his armour, and supporting him in a private project, a practice frowned upon. In return for this, you get what sounds like a magic force field and a date…" here, Pohatu paused gain, for greater effect. It also allowed a certain other pair of ears time to prepare themselves for the revelation, "with Gali." The mouth belonging to the other set of ears had to stifle a gasp. This was big gossip. Tahu glared defiantly at Pohatu.

"Yes," he responded bluntly, "will you help me?" Pohatu calmed his face and warped it into a mockery of an expression of serious contemplation. After a few seconds the look cracked and Pohatu nodded, trying to stifle his giggles.

"If only to see Kopaka convince Gali to go out with someone."

Up in the trees, Lewa laughed silently to himself before stealthily climbing away, crossing limbs and swinging on vines from treetop to treetop in the direction of the lagoon.

* * *

Kopaka glared at the device on the table in front of him. Wiping a drop of sweat from above his eye, he carefully angled his soldering iron and melted down a blob of solder. He quickly slid one end of a resistor into the molten metal, before it cooled. He did the same at another point connecting the resistor into the circuit. He placed the soldering iron carefully in its cradle before switching it off. He walked around to the other side of the table and looked at his laptop. The tables were meant for two people to take half each, but the other students quickly learned not to sit across from Kopaka. Kopaka appreciated the extra space. Kopaka clicked a button on the laptop and the machine began to hum and the air shimmered slightly. Looking around suspiciously, Kopaka picked up a small screwdriver. He dropped the screwdriver onto the device, but about a foot above the device, the screwdriver stopped and hung in the air. Kopaka's face, formerly stretched in intense concentration, now relaxed slightly. He scooped the screwdriver out of the air and again, after making sure no one was watching, flung the screwdriver with as much force as he could muster at the device. The screwdriver wrenched to a halt, again about a foot from the device. The corners of Kopaka's face turned up slightly. He had at least one half of his promised payment ready. Thinking of the payment owed to Tahu, Kopaka glanced at his watch. He did a double take, incredulous that it had been almost an hour since he had last checked. It was just before 1:30, the time at which Kopaka would usually go to the canteen for lunch – if he had lunch. Reluctantly, Kopaka packed up his equipment and device. Secreting what was his into his bag, he left, a feeling of sick anticipation in his stomach.

Waiting for him outside the workshop was Gali. Kopaka flinched, expecting to have time to get to the canteen. To hide his terror, he asked a question that he had hoped would prevent this 'date' from happening.

"How did you know where I would be?" Gali smiled mysteriously. Something flickered in Kopaka's chest. He paid it no attention, seeing as his stomach was a seething mass of butterflies.

"I'm good at finding out secrets," she replied, causing Kopaka's stomach to freeze over. _Could she know!? _Gali laughed. "Don't look so mortified. I just asked Onua. He told me where you would be." The pair started walking to the canteen. Kopaka was on autopilot, making the barest replies to Gali's small talk. Inside, his brain was whirring and clicking. _She spoke to Onua? I hope Tahu wasn't there…_ The other side of Kopaka's mind smiled sadistically. _You know, you would think, since this is happening to me, I would find it awkward and uncomfortable, but it's still hilarious. _The first side of Kopaka replied with a snarl, which Kopaka had to struggle to keep off his face.


	10. Hard at Work

Someone give BionicleFuzzyMelon a banana :D I was worried I was being a little too subtle with the mask of shielding, but obviously not. Bonus points if you can tell me what Kopaka's other project is ;) Hint: re-read chapter two, that should help.

I'm happy I could help, and I hope your tooth gets better (or is better, I have no idea how long that sort of thing takes to heal :P )

Enjoy :)

* * *

Gali frowned as she watched Kopaka walk away, back to the workshop. She was a little disappointed that he had been so shy and nervous. She replayed the date in her head on the way back to the forest and the lagoon. Kopaka was nice enough, but very reserved. Gali would have to open him up. He held a lot of repressed tension. He would probably benefit from meditating. Gali's frown turned into a smile. She could teach him. Gali's shoes crunched the gravel of the path. Suddenly, she became aware that she couldn't hear the sound of the gravel anymore; another sound had drowned it out. The sound became clearer and louder, indicating its source was approaching. Suddenly, Lewa swung across the path hollering and grasping a vine. At the apex of his swing he let go and grabbed another vine which wrapped itself around a tree trunk. The vine wound around and around and Lewa got closer to the tree and the ground. Before he slammed into the trunk, he let go and flipped through the air, landing on his feet with a flourish in front of Gali.

"Hey, Water-sister, how's it going?" Gali shook off her surprise at Lewa's dramatic entrance. She suddenly took notice of the mischievous look on Lewa's face.

"Not bad…" she replied, hesitantly. Lewa's grin opened wider. "Why?" Lewa laughed.

"I can't tell you. It's a sneaky-secret." Gali frowned, and was about press further, before Lewa burst. "Okay, Okay, I'll speak-tell you. But you won't like it." Surprised, Gali raised her eyebrow. Lewa never had bad news, ever. Even when he said she wouldn't like what he had to say, he always said something funny.

"I think I'll take my chances," she said, measuredly.

"Tahu wants to date you." Gali raised her eyebrow again. This didn't surprise her; most of the guys wanted to date her. Unfortunately, Tahu would have to be let down. Gali would have to be prepared if Tahu decided to ask her out. Lewa realised what he had said and how little effect he had had.

"And, he made a deal with Kopaka to get him a date with you." Gali stopped walking, stunned. She remembered what Kopaka had said to her that morning: _Oh, they're not from me_, _they're from a friend, I promised him I would give these to you. _Gali's eyes widened. _He wasn't lying. _Her face flushed bright red as she realised what she had done. Then the colour drained away and her face darkened.

"Kopaka made a deal that he would get Tahu a date with me?" she asked, wanting to make sure she had her facts straight. Lewa smirked, self-satisfied.

"Absolut-correct!" he declared happily. Gali rounded on him.

"This is not funny Lewa! Someone made a deal and used me as a bargaining chip! Used me!" Lewa's face turned blank as he worked it through in his head. Suddenly his eyes widened and his mouth formed a stunned 'O.'

"What a dick!" he declared. Gali glared at Lewa.

* * *

Tahu slammed his hammer down on the metal plate, over and over again. He took hold of the metal plate with a huge pair of tongs and plunged it back into the white hot coals of his forge. He was stripped to the waist and sweat rolled off his smooth body, forming a slick sheen on his chest and back. After a few minutes he took the metal plate from the forge and replaced it on the anvil, again taking to it with his hammer. He repeated the process several times before plunging the metal plate into a barrel of water. A cloud of steam billowed around Tahu and his forge. After about a minute, Tahu withdrew the plate from the barrel of water. It was roughly hexagonal with a slight curve. The piece was going to be cast into a mould from which Tahu would make the polyethylene piece. Tahu looked over the piece and, finding that there was no cracks, bumps or imperfections, he put it to one side. He walked over to a box of discarded pieces, all similar shapes but cracked, bumped or otherwise imperfect. He grabbed the box and heaved its heavy contents into the smelter, ready to be melted down and made into the next part. Tahu grabbed the perfect piece and walked with it out of the forge building. He crossed through the academy, eventually arriving at the quarry where Pohatu was waiting. Pohatu had a table set up with all the tools and materials he would need to make a mould. Tahu handed Pohatu the metal plate and Pohatu almost dropped it.

"Damn, I can see why he wanted the plastic. This is bloody heavy!" Tahu shrugged, disdainful. That single metal plate was hours of work and it wasn't even going to feature in the final armour. He trudged back to the forge, ready to make more and more pieces of armour that would be discarded almost immediately. As he walked back to the forge, he became dully aware that people were staring at him and he realised he had forgot to put a shirt on before he left the forge. He leered back at them, causing them to look away and walk on hurriedly.

* * *

Tahu continued to heat and shape metal for the rest of the day, occasionally pausing to bring a piece to Pohatu. The work was not difficult, and he was able to do most of it without thinking. This left his mind free for other thoughts. He wondered about why he was doing this. Not the armour, that was obvious and base enough, but why he was at the academy at all. He was slaving away over a hot forge learning nothing about combat, supernatural or otherwise, or about being a warrior. Tahu had come to the Academy because he wanted to be a Toa; that was all he had ever wanted to be. He loved the way they looked, he loved the way they talked, and he loved the way they fought. Tahu loved to fight. He had been in trouble a lot at his matoran school for fighting. His excuse was always the same: _I'm training_. And now, he was a simple blacksmith, a metalworker, not a warrior. The thought that he had several more years in the Academy crept into his brain, but he quickly pushed the idea away.


	11. sarcastic clap

Hi guys, a slightly shorter chapter this time. Hope you enjoy all the same :)

* * *

Kopaka walked into his room, smiling. Onua, sitting at the desk, pretended to faint.

"Do my eyes deceive me, or is the clock wrong?" Kopaka set his bag on his bed and pulled out his device. He turned it on, and then flung a spare electronic component at it. The component froze mid-air. Onua's eyes widened.

"It works?" Kopaka dropped his smile and turned scathingly to Onua.

"No, it's a hologram… Of course it works." Onua laughed. He stood up and brought a metal ruler from the desk. He dropped the ruler onto the device, but it hung mid-air. Onua scooped up the ruler and held it at one end. He swung it like a sword toward the device, and again it stopped mid-ar. Onua pushed against the device's field, but it pushed back, and he could not move the metal object. Kopaka smiled again.

"I' haven't tried it yet, but it should stop a bullet." Onua was beside himself with excitement.

"Can I have one?" Kopaka laughed.

"This one is promised to Tahu, and then I want one, so the third goes to you." Onua was eager.

"Now that you know what you're doing, it shouldn't take too long, right?" Kopaka smiled, but it tasted slightly sour. _Remember why you didn't want to tell him what you did of a night? Because you would be roped into a situation like this!_ Laughing and trying to ignore the half of his mind telling him to reject Onua's request, he replied.

"Well, between building another one for me, and a second project that I haven't finalised yet, it might be a long while before I can start on yours." Onua's face fell, but he nodded understandingly. Then he remembered something and his face picked up again.

"So," he began, his voice layered and seductive, "How was your date with Gali?" Kopaka flinched. "That bad, huh?" Onua asked, still smiling. Kopaka packed up his device stiffly. Onua correctly interpreted this as procrastinating and sat patiently on his bed, awaiting a response. Finally, Kopaka finished with his task and had no-where to run. He sat on his bed and faced Onua, eyes cast down.

"The date was never supposed to be for me." Onua blinked, surprised.

"Dude, I'm sure dating isn't your thing yet, but it's not like it was your destiny to have a bad date. So you mess—" Kopaka interrupted Onua's sympathetic speech, a ghost of a smirk tracking across his face. Even in situations such as this, he found something to smirk at.

"I meant, I didn't want to go out with her, I wanted to get her to go out with someone else." Onua's face twisted through several expressions which included horror, disappointment and mirth. It finally settled on curiosity.

"What?" Kopaka smirked fully.

"I fully agree that dating 'isn't my thing', I never thought it was, but I made a bargain with Tahu for my armour which included a date with Gali." Onua's lay back on his bed, exhaling slowly. He started to shake and sat up, laughing.

"You manipulative bastard. Do you realise exactly how screwed you are?" Kopaka snarled and got up off the bed. He grabbed his sketchbook from his bag and slammed it down on the desk. Onua continued, fighting to keep the laughter out of his voice. "I mean, if Tahu finds out you went on his date instead of him, or if Gali finds out you just want to use her…" He let the sentence trail off. Kopaka grabbed a pencil angrily and started to sketch something. Onua let the tense smile stretch out. After a few moments though, he spoke, and he spoke with absolute seriousness. "Brother, I've got your back. You can trust me." Kopaka's body relaxed and he turned back to Onua.

"Thank you." Kopaka turned back to his sketchbook and continued to draw. The lines on the page converged and diverged, forming various shapes. Onua got up and peered over Kopaka's shoulder. The drawing seemed to have no coherence at all, being just a mass of lines and shapes. Kopaka's pencil danced over the page, jumping from point to point. Kopaka drew a few more lines, connecting a few shapes and suddenly the confused mass began to take on meaning. It was a stocky rifle. As Onua watched, Kopaka lengthened the barrel. Near the muzzle, he drew a muzzle brake, then a silencer, adding annotations that these would be interchangeable. On top of the rifle were rails above which Kopaka drew several scopes including variable magnification and thermal. Underneath the rifle, Kopaka drew magazines of various size, indicating they would carry either armour piercing rounds, incendiary rounds or other munitions. Onua looked admiringly at Kopaka's drawing.

"You know you can't use a firearm at the Academy?" Kopaka nodded sadly. Looking wistfully at the rifle, he flipped the page and quickly sketched a knife. At first Onua didn't know what it was, because it had an odd shape. The blade and handle followed a half moon shape, with a wide blade and a serrated section on the outside of the curve near where the blade met the handle. It looked almost like the claw on a velociraptor.

"It's called a karambit. Special-forces Vahki units carry them." Onua nodded. Kopaka stiffened suddenly, and turned to Onua. "Sorry, I'm being rude. It's just, I sketch when I'm nervous. And right now, I'm nervous as hell."


	12. Fireworks

Sorry to BionicleFuzzyMelon, but all good things must come crashing and burning to a fiery halt.

Enjoy :)

* * *

Kopaka woke the next morning with a lead ball seated in his stomach. He was playing a dangerous game with Tahu and Gali, and he still didn't have all his equipment ready. In a few weeks, the Turaga would allocate Toa to teams and these would be the teams that the Toa would stay in for the rest of their education, and many Toa carried on in these teams for their whole career. Kopaka needed to finish his pet project, and he hoped Tahu would be able to make his armour soon.

Walking into the canteen hall, Kopaka felt something off. He was usually alone amongst the crowd, but this morning he felt as though everyone else was judging him disdainfully. Frowning, he dismissed this as simple paranoia. He grabbed breakfast and walked with it to his table. He crossed the whole room to get to his table – it was in the corner, same as always – and he passed the table where Gali and her friends were sitting. When she spotted him, Gali jumped up and fell into step beside him. Kopaka's stomach did a flip. Gali turned to him and the look on her face sent Kopaka's stomach spiralling into his shoes. She was struggling to keep a neutral expression, but the struggle was being lost to the rage that she was trying to hide. Kopaka felt his world shrink to just himself and the stiff, angry form of Gali walking next to him. He suddenly had to concentrate profusely to coordinate his limbs. The few remaining steps to his table were difficult, and Kopaka almost dropped his cereal. Finally, gratefully, he sat down and Gali sat across from him, rigidly straight. She frowned and opened her mouth a few times, trying to formulate her rage into words. Eventually she settled on just one word.

"Why?" Kopaka flinched. He had expected that Gali would find out at some point. He was not, however, prepared for how reasonable she was being about it.

"What do you mean?" Gali herself flinched this time. She in turn had expected Kopaka to shamelessly admit to being a jerk and list a string of previous conquests. Frowning slightly, she realised this was slightly unrealistic, but she still wasn't expecting him to be so disappointed at being found out.

"Why would you treat me like an object?" Kopaka sat back, considering his response. He remembered his conversation with Onua. _To prove to myself…_ before he could voice a response, Gali interrupted him. "And why then, once you had promised me to Tahu, would you go ahead and have lunch with me?" Kopaka smiled slightly. That one he could answer easily.

"You'd hardly have gone out with him if I'd asked. I needed to invest time into you, so you would be more… understanding." Gali's blood turned to ice.

"You really are a cold bastard," she snarled. He voice raised in volume over her next sentence so that by the last word, the surrounding tables were watching, "You think you have people all figured out, don't you?" Kopaka squirmed, uncomfortable. He disliked the attention of crowds and he especially did not want anyone to watch what, in his opinion, should have been a private conversation. Something else stirred in his stomach, a fundamental need for this conversation to not be happening at all. He tried to shake the feeling, but couldn't. It grew worse when he looked at Gali, and he found that he couldn't meet her eyes. After a moment, he forced himself to look at her and found that her eyes were astonishing. They were a bright, clear amber colour, a colour that reminded him of honey, or burning sodium. The thought that the owner of those eyes were angry at him sent a wave of panic down Kopaka's spine. Suddenly, he felt the penny drop. The sadistic half of his brain smiled at the other half. _You ever watch Avatar? The one with the blue people? _The other half of Kopaka's brain snarled, but played along. _Yeah, sure. Why?_ The sadistic half smiled mysteriously. _Remember how Jake Sully was supposed to infiltrate the Na'vi? _Again snarling, Kopaka's other half nodded. _Remember how instead he ended up falling in love with the Na'vi girl and fighting all the humans? _Kopaka's other half realised where this was going and simply glared at the sarcastic half. Or would have, if they had been physical beings. The sadistic half continued. _Hi Jake, how's it going?_ Kopaka reigned in his arguing brain and coordinated a response to Gali. Slowly, and choosing each word carefully, he spoke.

"I know me, and I know what I need. I try not to deny myself things that will help me. In the process of accepting help from Tahu, I had to make certain promises. One of those involved you." Gali sat through this and regarded Kopaka with frigid disdain. Kopaka was about to speak again when Tahu walked up to the table. Kopaka, who up until that point had nursed a small hope that Gali could be won over, now felt his plans crashing around his ears. Tahu winked at Gali, gloriously oblivious to the situation, and turned to Kopaka before Gali could turn her disdain and disgust on him.

"Dude, your armour and… other equipment is ready. You can swing by the armoury at any time to pick it all up, and, uhh, deliver payment." Gali snarled and growled audibly. Glaring at Kopaka, she yelled first at him.

"Bastard!" then turned to Tahu. "Coward!" she then stood and, with as much dignity as she could muster – which Kopaka still thought was a decent effort after what had just happened – stalked angrily back to the table with her friends. Tahu rounded on Kopaka.

"She—"

"Uh-huh"

"Then you—"

"Yup"

Angrily Tahu recoiled from Kopaka.

"Equipment in return for payment. That was the agreement." With that, he stalked off. Kopaka sat under the stares of the surrounding tables and calmly ate his cereal.


	13. Midnight Stroll

Updated to make for nicer reading XD

Enjoy

* * *

Kopaka returned to his room again at a reasonable time. Onua looked at him, but said nothing. He had heard from friends about Gali's confrontation with Kopaka. Kopaka brought out his device. He had finished it that day, finalising the proximity where the magnetic field would be effective and controls to switch it on and off. It was contained within a rectangular box which had 'Hau' carved into a corner. Onua looked over it critically, still not speaking to Kopaka. Finally, he put it down.

"As much as your social skills suck, your skills as an electrical engineer remain astounding."

Kopaka nodded in gratitude. He reeled off some statistics about range, strength and battery life. Onua nodded approvingly.

"That will make you very powerful." Kopaka shook his head.

"It's not for me. It's for Tahu" Onua raised his eyebrow.

"Dude, you done f*cked up that deal. Really badly. I heard about what happened in the canteen." Kopaka's eyes narrowed.

"He has something that I need. I'm going to get it. It's only fair that I pay him." Onua shook his head in astonishment.

"Whatever you want to believe, brother." He paused a beat. "Are you okay?" he asked, Kopaka turned to him and replied scathingly.

"I don't want to talk about it." Onua nodded; he had expected such a reaction.

"Remember, I've got your back." Kopaka simply grunted in response.

* * *

Kopaka woke at about 2:30. He pulled out his headphones and switched off the alarm from his phone. Rising slowly, to avoid waking Onua, Kopaka dressed. He wore, not his usual jeans and hoodie, but tight black pants and a black skivvy. He slipped a balaclava on over his head and put on thick, black socks but no shoes. Lastly, he clipped a strap around his chest and cinched it tight. It restricted his breathing slightly, but it had to carry several pouches which contained several tools. Slowly and quietly, he slipped out the door.

He crept through the hallway, being sure to be as quiet as possible. When he reached the door he slid up to it and put his ear against the wood. He held his breath for a moment and listened. Hearing nothing, he peered through the window. He saw no-one, though he knew there were Turaga patrolling the Academy. He had encountered a few on his way home from the workshop a couple of times. Those times, he had been escorted back to the dormitories. This time, however, he wanted to avoid them. Crouching, he moved slowly along the wall of the dormitory. He poked his head around the corner and saw a Turaga sitting, dozing on a bench between Kopaka and The forge, where Kopaka was heading. Kopaka's heart rate accelerated, and Kopaka withdrew around the corner and took a second to calm himself. He did not need adrenalin messing with his fine motor skills. Peering around again, he took in the rest of the environment between himself and the forge.

There was a large open space, dotted with a few trees. There was no source of light except for that reflected from the moon, and the trees cast very dark shadows, yet provided very little actual cover. Kopaka plotted a path through the shadows to the forge building. He dashed across a few meters of moonlight before arriving in the welcome shade of the first tree. Pausing at the tree, he looked again at the Turaga, who was still dozing on the bench. He dashed out across the next patch of moonlight to the next tree, pausing again to observe the Turaga.

He continued this way across the gap until he arrived at the last tree. The Turaga still had not budged. Kopaka was now faced with a problem. There were lights on the eves of the forge building, flooding the area in front of the door. Kopaka would have to pick the lock, and while he did this, he would be exposed if the Turaga woke up. Moving agonisingly slowly, so as not to wake the Turaga, Kopaka advanced out of the shadows and crept into the light. Leaning on the door and angling himself so he could see the Turaga on the bench, he ripped the Velcro strap off one of the pouches. The sound seemed shockingly loud to Kopaka, and he flinched, staring at the Turaga. The Turaga shifted on the bench and Kopaka froze. The Turaga settled again, and Kopaka relaxed.

Kopaka unwound the pouch. It was folded into three sections with long metal tools strapped to the inside. Kopaka withdrew two of the metal strips. Inspecting first them, and then the lock in the door, he replaced one tool and selected another. Inserting these tools, he decided he was dissatisfied with the tool he had kept, so he replaced that one. He began to work the metal strips, eyes closed and concentrating fiercely. After a minute he paused, turned back to the Turaga and watched him for a moment. Seeing the Turaga still asleep, he turned back to his door.

He repeated this process, working on the lock for a minute or two before turning back to the Turaga. The process repeated itself so many times that Kopaka began to think he would never pick the lock, when finally he felt a miniscule _thunk_! _And so, _Kopaka thought, _the first tumbler falls._ He continued to work at the lock for almost an hour, shifting a tumbler every fifteen minutes or so. After the fourth tumbler, he twisted the tools in the lock and felt the lock turn and open. Sighing with relief, he swung the door open quickly, so as not to draw out any creak that may come from rusty hinges. The hinges did not creak, and Kopaka felt a wave of panic pass over him as he thought about what would have happened if the door had been alarmed. He would have to be more careful next time.

He left the door a fraction ajar to allow for quick exit. The only source of light in the room was the glowing coals in all the furnaces and forges. This cast an eerie orange-red glow over the whole room. Kopaka walked purposefully over to the furnace where Tahu had been working. There was a mannequin, one of many in the room – other students had begun to request armour. Tahu's mannequin was sparsely clad. Despite this, Kopaka nodded admiringly. The plates were all smooth but not reflective, and when Kopaka picked up a forearm brace, they were light. He rapped his knuckles against the brace and was satisfied with its resistance. Kopaka replaced the brace and cast his gaze around, looking for what he come to collect.

He did a double take when he realised that it had been strapped to the head of the mannequin. He slipped it off and slipped it onto his own head. Toying with it, he was extremely satisfied. There was a socket which slipped neatly over his eye with a gap for the lenses he planned to implement into it. Fiddling with the case, he depressed a button and found that it rotated, as he had specified, so that a new gap was in front of his eye. Impressed with the fine dexterity that must have gone into the mechanism, Kopaka spun the device, letting it rotate on its axis. He slipped it off and secreted it into an empty pouch prepared for the purpose. From another pouch, he took his device and placed it on a table, with a note detailing the instructions of its use. He slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him.


	14. Sweet New Tech

Updated to make for nicer reading XD

Thanks for your review, duznawtcair, and as to your question about the Toa powers, I wanted to write a story that was driven by characters and their relationships, rather than being driven by constant fighting, which I find that most Bionicle media, be it fanfiction or published by Bionicle, to be. That, and I was wrestling with how to implement it so that it would be balanced and have reasonable rules. I have a vague idea for what I'm going to do, and I think it'll appear in either the next chapter or the chapter after that.

Thank you BionicleFuzzyMelon for your always entertaining feedback :)

Enjoy :)

* * *

The next morning, Kopaka rose and hid his spoils from last night's raid in his bag. He walked toward the canteen hall, but then, realising he may run into Tahu or Gali, decided to skip breakfast. His stomach arguing the whole way, he trudged toward the mechanics and electronics workshop. He opened the door to find the massive structure eerily empty. Upon closer inspection, however, Kopaka saw that all the occupants of the room were grouped around a notice hung on the wall. He walked to a table without anyone's belongings on it and placed his bag on top, claiming it. He then perused the shelves in expanding concentric circles, picking up bits and pieces he would need to finish off his greatest project. He returned to his table and dumped all his parts on the table and then sorted them into type and size. He looked up and saw that by this time, there were no more people looking at the notice. He rose from his table and looked at the poster.

_ALL STUDENTS, _it declared, _YOU ARE REQUIRED TO UNDERTAKE THE MANDATORY PERSONALITY COMPATIBILITY TEST. THIS TEST WILL DETERMINE POTENTIAL TEAMMATES. BE SURE TO SEE YOUR LEARNING ENVIRONMENT CHIEF TURAGA TO SET A TIME TO TAKE THE TEST. _

Kopaka frowned. A personality test? Those were ridiculous, jargon filled wastes of time. Real psycho-analysts spent time with their subjects and observed them under real conditions before making a determination about their personality. Shaking his head, Kopaka returned to his table and got to work.

A few hours later, he sat back and looked at his device, satisfied. He slipped it onto his head and over his eye. His vision was extremely conflicted and confused; he couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. He closed the eye that was not hidden by the device, so that he was just looking through its eyepiece. His vision clarified, though he was still disoriented. He was staring with exquisite clarity at the opposite wall of the workshop, over 100 meters away. He fiddled with the focus rings and the image zoomed out, and then in further. Smiling, Kopaka pressed the button and the device spun and quickly the next lens settled on his eye. When it did, Kopaka recoiled and shut his eye. His vision had been assaulted with a bright green glow. Realising that his 'low light' lens was probably not the best choice for the bright sunlight, he pressed the button one more time and another lens locked over his eye. This time, when he peered through the eyepiece, his vision was filled with soft blue. Turning slowly, a blob of red-orange panned into view. He slipped the device off his head and found that he was looking at another student, poring over his own table. Putting the device back over his eye, he smiled when the red-orange blob overlapped with where the student was sitting. His thermal camera worked, then. Kopaka smirked.

_You know, _quipped his subconscious voice,_ you can almost see your ego swelling to fill the room. _The other side of his subconsciousness, for once, agreed.

_Hells yeah! _Remembering the notice on the wall, Kopaka packed up all his equipment and spare parts. When he was finished, he swaggered over to Nuju's office. He rapped on the aluminium door and was surprised when it opened instantly. At the door was the matoran, Matoro, who translated for Nuju. Already inside the office were several other students. Kopaka guessed these Toa were here for the same reason he was. Nuju made an exasperated gesture and spewed a stream of clicks and whistles. Matoro frowned, trying to keep up. At the end, he smiled slightly.

"The ritual will take place next week, to give you time to come to terms with the… results before your team selections." Kopaka frowned at the way the matoran had hesitated at the end of the sentence. It sounded like these results would be difficult to 'come to terms with,' despite the fact that they were probably just stupid online psycho-analysis tests. Though, he had said ritual… not test. Kopaka couldn't pause to dwell on that point, because Nuju was speaking again, through Matoro. "On the Tuesday, assemble in the canteen at seven. You will be taken individually to your ritual." There again with the word 'ritual.' Kopaka wanted to ask what he meant, but Nuju was already shooing the students from his office. Kopaka was curious now. Perhaps this 'ritual' would not be as simple as the poster would have him believe. He thought about this as he grabbed his bag from his table and walked back to his room.


	15. The Path to Where?

Updated to make for nicer reading XD

Hi guys :) Now we start to get down to the 'supernatural' aspect of this academy. (Well, actually, not quite yet, but soon, I promise :) )

BionicleFuzzyMelon, Thank you so much :) It's great to hear that people are enjoying my writing, and I feel exactly the same way about your comments; I await them eagerly XD

Hope you all enjoy this slightly eerie chapter :)

* * *

The week passed in a blur. Kopaka still spent most of his time in the workshop, developing other tools working on smaller projects. One of these was a compact re-breather, a device designed to be used underwater, which recycled exhaled air and combined it with oxygen stripped from water, like fish gills. Another project he started to work on was a pneumatic exoskeleton which would massively increase the wearer's strength. That project, though, never got any further than his sketchbook. He cobbled together a vague camouflage suit from some cloth that he bought, though it was vastly inferior to his armour, and offered no rigid protection whatsoever. He also convinced one of the other students in the forge to make the karambit he had designed. This student, he paid with money. With team selections drawing ever closer, Kopaka needed to be armed, and could not take the chance that he would be unable to pay. He was immensely proud of his achievements, and while he was disappointed that he did not own the armour he had designed, it existed, and it was exquisite.

* * *

When the time came for the assessment, Kopaka sauntered into the canteen area. He walked over to the counter and grabbed a bowl of cereal before crossing the room to his table in the corner. To do so he had to pass both Tahu and Gali's tables. Tahu snarled at him when he passed, Gali simply refused to look at him. Kopaka felt his blood rise to his cheeks as he walked past Gali's table. He was surprised to find that he wanted desperately for Gali to acknowledge him, if only in anger. He considered walking up to her and trying to talk to her, but dismissed the idea almost immediately. He did not want another confrontation like the one a week ago.

Disappointed, he moved on, though his mind lingered with Gali and it was only when he nearly tripped over some-one's bag that he wrenched his mind back to the present. He would need his wits about him in this test/ritual thing. Kopaka had given up trying to guess what the ritual was. He, with Onua's help, had scoured the archives for any texts relating to the process, but he was unable to find anything. None of the school records mentioned such a process, nor did the accounts of former students. Onua, equally curious, had continued searching and only stopped when Whenua, the Chief Archivist, had noticed what it was he was looking for and enigmatically forbade him from searching further.

Kopaka looked at his watch. Nuju's invitation had been ambiguous, and while it was now a few minutes to seven in the morning, he could just as easily been referring to seven in the evening. Kopaka ate his breakfast slowly, waiting for something to happen. He watched the entrances to the room like a hawk, noting every time a Toa walked in. A few minutes past 7, Matoro walked a few steps into the room, cast his eyes around and, apparently spotting what he was looking for, walked purposefully over to a Toa and directed him out of the canteen. Kopaka watched the door close behind him. After about ten minutes, he realised that he had no way of knowing how long the process would take, so there was no point in watching the door. So Kopaka waited.

He watched the crowd and was once again fascinated by its at once collective and individual nature. He watched the crowd swell as more and more Toa came in for breakfast, and then slowly dwindle as they left to go wherever they went. Eventually, the crowd became smaller and smaller, until it was no longer a crowd but a few scattered groups, and eventually these too left, and only Kopaka and a few others remained. Kopaka recognised a few of these from the Nuju's office a week ago, and figured the rest must have made similar arrangements with Nuju. When the crowd began to reduce, Kopaka had put his headphones in and switched on his music. Dissatisfied with the song now playing, he glanced at his phone to change it and noticed he had been waiting almost an hour and a half.

A few minutes later, Matoro returned, though without the Toa he had first taken. Glancing around, he searched for a few seconds before spotting Kopaka sitting inconspicuously in a corner. Hurrying over, Matoro asked Kopaka to follow him. Matoro lead the way without talking to Kopaka or even looking at him. Kopaka felt his stomach churn slightly, but ignored the feeling of nervousness. Walking out of the canteen, Matoro navigated a complicated series of corridors. Kopaka tried to keep track of their course, but could not. He also noticed that the doors that opened onto corridors were the same as the doors to student's rooms. Someone had obviously gone to some effort to hide this room. After Kopaka was significantly disoriented, Matoro came to a stop in front of another door. This time he did not pass through, only indicated to Kopaka that he was to do so. Kopaka stared at Matoro for a few seconds, trying to glean some insight into what was about to happen, but the matoran remained expressionless.

Kopaka put his palm up against the door, but could not feel any heat nor vibrations. Wrapping his hand around the handle, he twisted it experimentally. Finding it unlocked, he stepped into the door and opened it wide, his eyes sweeping the room before him. He was a little disappointed that his sudden entrance into the room had surprised only himself. He was faced by a narrow metal chamber. At about waist height and circling the room was a handrail and on the back wall was panel of glowing buttons. Obviously, this was a lift. To take him where, Kopaka could only guess. Kopaka turned to Matoro to find a slightly bemused smile on the matoran's face. When Matoro made no other motion, Kopaka took this as a sign that he was on his own. He stepped forward into the lift and shut the door behind him.


	16. Choices

Updated to make for nicer reading XD

Hi guys :) _This_ is where we start to see aspects of supernatural-ism.

Enjoy :)

* * *

Immediately Kopaka was plunged into darkness. The only illumination came from the buttons on the back wall. This cast an odd yellowish tinge over everything in the small chamber, making it feel hot and dry. Kopaka looked at the buttons, and next to each of them was a smart brass plate with an inscription. Kopaka had to squint to read in the low light. He noticed something odd. There were two columns of buttons. Beside each button on the left column, the brass plate read 'Yes,' beside each button on the right, the plate said 'No.' Confused, Kopaka looked around and found at the top of the panel of buttons another brass plate with a longer inscription. 'Do you prefer being alone to being in a group?' Kopaka frowned. His unhelpful subconscious chimed in:

_Well, isn't this interesting? _Kopaka's other mind-voice replied scathingly:

_Shut up! I'm thinking. _He turned a circle, slowly, scanning the walls for any other mark or inscription. Any sign of what to do next. Finding none, he turned back to the panel of buttons and its strange inscription. He considered the question, though not for long.

_Alone, easily, _he thought, _which is a 'Yes,' then. But which one? _Deciding there was no future in waiting – and thinking that this must have been why it took the first Toa so long to complete the process – Kopaka reached forward to the 'Yes' at the top of the column. All at once, several things happened. The first was that for a moment, both the 'Yes' that Kopaka had pressed and the 'No' opposite it stopped glowing. Then the 'Yes' resumed glowing, but this time a peaceful blue colour. The next thing that happened was a great clanking and rattling permeated the small chamber and the lift began to descend.

Kopaka grabbed the handrail and held it so tight that his knuckles turned white. The motion of the lift pressed against his head and Kopaka closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, held it for a second, and then released it slowly. He repeated this process until the lift shuddered to a halt. Kopaka had never been a fan of lifts, and this ancient, lurching contraption was not being kind to him. He opened his eyes and turned to the door to find that there was no handle on this side. A wave of panic passed over him and he saw himself, days later, crawled up on the floor, emaciated and dying. He quickly banished the thought. The Turaga would not let him die here, surely.

He turned back to the panel of buttons. He inspected the panel and was spooked to see that the inscription on the brass plate at the top of the panel had changed. It now read: 'The trolley experiment states that there is a group of matoran trapped in a section of the chute network. There is a freight chute that will kill the matoran, unless you pull a lever and redirect the chute. However, on this other route is the one matoran, Toa or Turaga that you care about most. Do you save the group?' Kopaka stepped back from the panel and exhaled slowly. To allow a group to die, or to have a hand in the death of the person he cared about most. An image flickered into his head of Gali trapped in the chute system, a massive transport chute baring down on her. He forcibly ejected the image from his mind, but it was just as soon replaced with a similar image of Onua in the chute system. Surprised, he filed away his reaction for study later. He thought carefully through the morality of the situation.

He could allow the train to pass, keeping the person he cared about most alive and not having actively taken part in the death of the group. However, being present in the situation morally demanded that he save as many people as he could. This course of action, however, would lead to the death of the person he cared for most. Kopaka sat and closed his eyes concentrating. After a second, he noticed that every time he thought it through, the place of 'person he cared for most' was held by either Gali or Onua. He thought about all the other people in his life. He didn't speak to anyone in the workshop. He hadn't spoken to anyone from his matoran school since he came to the Academy, and even before that, he only spoke when necessary. Onua was the only person he had any kind of relationship with, and Gali was the only person that he was disappointed he didn't have some kind of relationship with. The thought scared him. The idea that he could lose the only other voice in his life chilled him to his core. He stood and, after a second's hesitation, pressed the 'No' button.

This time, as the buttons went dim, and then the 'No' turned blue, the shaking and shuddering brought the lift up, and Kopaka again forced himself to breathe slowly, though he forced his eyes open. He stared single-mindedly at the brass plate. After a few moments of rising, the plate turned smooth and then it moulded and reformed itself to the shaking of the lift, similar to a flag waving in the wind. As the lift started to slow, the plate slowly solidified again, this time with a new inscription. 'You are in a cave system when the way behind you collapses. Before you, there are two choices. One is low and narrow, but you can see light from the other end. The other is high and wide, but you cannot see the end of the path, even with your torch. Do you take the narrow path?' This time, Kopaka did not have to think hard about the question. He would much rather take the path with certainty, despite its discomfort, than risk walking down a path with no end. He reached up and pressed the 'Yes' button, and braced himself. The lift raised itself again. Kopaka frowned in confusion as the lift rose for a not insignificant amount of time, long enough that it should have passed the doorway where it started. Kopaka shook his head and ignored this thought, thinking that he must have not payed attention to how long the lift had descended for.


	17. Blizzard

Updated to make for nicer reading XD

Enjoy :)

* * *

The lift shuddered to a halt once more, and the brass plate solidified with a new inscription. 'Through an innocent misunderstanding, a friend has become angry with you, even though you did no wrong. Do you apologise?' Kopaka looked around suspiciously. He suspected he was being watched, and this question only heightened his paranoia. Though the question was different to what had happened to Kopaka with Gali, Kopaka was still stung by the audacity of it. It was possible, of course, that these were standardised questions, however Kopaka strongly suspected that they were not. Kopaka was also felt that there were sarcastic undertones to the question; that the question was suggesting that what had happened had not been a simple misunderstanding. His lip curling, he pressed the 'No' button, bracing against the movement of the canister in which he seemed to be imprisoned, which again rose.

However, it was only after short climb that the lift stopped. The brass plate had reformed again, and this time the question seemed to Kopaka to be simple. "Are you afraid?" Kopaka was about to press the 'No' button, but before he could, the brass plate reformed again, this time with the simple message "BE HONEST" a tendril of nervousness curled its way through his stomach. However, it quickly dispelled and was replaced by another sensation, a quiet smouldering which accompanied Kopaka most places he went. It was curiosity. Kopaka smiled. He could honestly reply that he was not afraid. He was curious.

He reached down to press the 'No' button, but paused as he realised that it was located on the last row of buttons. He hesitated for a moment, taking another look around the canister. Concluding that he had no option but to press the button, he pressed his thumb into the plastic. The canister shook and rattled, this time moving down. The canister continued to sink, seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes dragged on and on. It went on so long that Kopaka began to think that the jarring, jolting, downward motion would never end. Eventually, however, the canister ground to a halt.

The door hissed, then a sound could be heard from within the walls of the canister, a sudden, massive, _CLANK, _followed by a series of clicks. It seemed that whatever mechanism had been holding the door locked had been withdrawn. Kopaka suddenly realised that while he had been in the canister, he was desperate to leave, now that he was presented with the opportunity for escape, he wanted nothing more than to remain in the certainty of the canister. He pushed against the door and was surprised that it resisted his push. He put more weight into it, but held back a little; he didn't want to overcome whatever was resisting him and then fall. He managed to open the door a crack and recoiled backward when he saw several white flakes float into the canister. The door remained cracked open, and more of the white flakes floated in. Kopaka cautiously reached out. One of the flakes alighted on his finger and, after a few seconds, dissolved. A drop of water fell off his finger and Kopaka realised that the white flakes were snow.

He felt a breeze wind its way through the crack and tousle his hair, carrying with it dozens more snowflakes. What he did not feel from this breeze, however, was cold. Kopaka frowned. For there to be snow, surely, it must be very cold wherever he was. Shaking his head, he stopped trying to imagine what was happening and leant his weight against the door once again. He managed to force it open wide enough to see through, not that it made much difference. All he could see was white. Kopaka slipped out through the crack. He was assaulted by a huge burst of wind and he had to squint. Suddenly, the wind abated. It simply stopped. The snow all dropped to the ground, revealing to Kopaka a sight that slackened his jaw. He was standing in a massive cavern, the walls and roof moulded together out of translucent crystal blue ice.

The cavern was the most massive structure Kopaka had ever been inside of. He couldn't see to the far end of the cavern and the roof towered hundreds of meters above his head. He heard the distinctive crunching of snowflakes underfoot and he spun around nervously, trying to find the source of the sound. He could see for what appeared to be kilometres in all directions, except for where his view was blocked by the canister he had arrived in. When he turned to face the canister, looking for the owner of the footsteps, he did a double-take. The canister did not look, from the outside, like a normal lift. It was cylindrical, with hemispherical caps on either end. The whole construct was a silvery metal, with darker circles near the base of the hemispherical caps. A frown passed over Kopaka's face, but he had given up on trying to explain what was happening, so it quickly dispersed. The footstep continued, but Kopaka noticed something strange about them. Their duration indicated a fast pace; that the owner of the feet was running, but the gap between each step indicated a slow pace.

The first sign of the owner of the footsteps was a spear head that emerged from around the canister. The head of the spear mimicked an enlarged ice pick, with a brutally serrated spike. The rest of the spear followed the head and Kopaka was awed by the length of spear that emerged before the handhold. The hand that gripped the spear was covered in intricate silvery-blue metallic armour. The rest of the spear and arm followed, with the length of the arm almost as impressive as the length of the spear. Then the rest of the being emerged from behind the canister and Kopaka was forced to pick his jaw up off the ground for the second time in as many minutes. The being was massive; over 8 feet tall. Its spear was another three feet longer. The armour of the being was in the same style as his gauntlet; silvery-blue metal with intricate swirling patterns engraved into the plates. The shiny metal gave the being an almost liquid look, and the swirling patterns only added to this effect. The arm that wasn't carrying a spear was carrying a massive oblong shield. The being planted its spear in the snow, embedding the butt about two feet into the ground with no more effort than brushing a snowflake from his armour. He grasped the base of his helmet and swept it off his head, dropping it to the ground and running a hand through his short, black hair. He drove his shield into the snow, this time using both arms and implying a little effort, though a disproportionately large amount of shield disappeared beneath the snow.

He picked up his helmet and took one step toward Kopaka, crossing the distance easily. Kopaka now understood why there had been such a delay between each step; the man's legs – for without his helmet, it was obvious that this being was a man – were massive and his strides cleared huge distances. The man towered over Kopaka. The man smiled slightly, and brought himself down to one knee. His face was still level with Kopaka's. Kopaka, at this point, was having great difficulty not turning and running, though there was still some small part of his brain that told him he was conducting a process managed by the Academy, and they would not allow him to come to harm. The being spoke.

"It has been a long time since anyone has come to see me down here." He smiled enigmatically. Kopaka opened his mouth and tried to speak, but no sound came out. He closed it, swallowed and tried again. He was struck by the contrast between his voice and the Man's. Where the man spoke with a calm, commanding tone and a deep voice, Kopaka's voice sounded high, panicked and small.

"Who are you? And where are we?" The man smiled again. A frown flickered across his face, though, and he sat down, cross legged. This finally brought his height under that of Kopaka, but only just. He sighed contentedly.

"That's better. By Mata Nui, I wish they would grow you lot a little bigger before they send you down here. In answer to your question, I am Kualus, Toa Hagah of Ice. You have probably heard of my team." Kopaka's eyes widened. The Toa Hagah were legend. Before the brotherhood of Makuta had turned against Mata Nui, the Toa Hagah had been the bodyguards of the Makuta Teridax. When they discovered he was evil, they turned against him, stealing the Kanohi Avokii, a mysterious, powerful artefact with the bower to bring about the destruction of the Makuta. The Hagah had barely escaped the Brotherhood with their lives, and it was reported that they had been mutated into half Toa, half Rahi beasts. The Toa Hagah had not been seen or heard from since. The Toa Hagah were said to be the pinnacle of Toa, the tallest, the fastest, the strongest. It was also said that in their mutations, they had become the smallest, the slowest and the weakest sentient beings. The being that stood before Kopaka, however, was not small, slow or weak. He was very willing to believe that what knelt before him was a Toa Hagah. "As to where we are, that is a rather more complex question. Suffice to say that we are not in Metru Nui anymore." Kopaka looked around him and nodded slowly.

"If you say so," he commented, "but what happens now?" Kualus smiled again, no less enigmatic for his introduction.

"What happens now, is that I tell you something about the Toa that you never knew." He waved his hand and Kopaka, his mind already exhausted from the trip in the canister, was once again blown. A stream of snowflakes picked themselves up from the ground and seemed to follow the lines of the gesture that Kualus was making. Kualus stood, and his gestures became broader, inviting up more, larger streams of snow. He brought his hands into his chest and curled them into fists, before exploding them out to the ends of his reach, palms open. The snow, previously swirling peacefully, fell for a few moments but was quickly swept up in the blizzard which rose. Kopaka gasped, eyes wide. Was Kualus controlling the snow? Kualus brought his hands up to his face and then slashed his arms downward so that they ended up forming a 'V' shape slightly behind him. The power behind the blizzard disappeared and the snow floated gracefully to the ground.

"Yes. That was me," pre-empted Kualus, answering Kopaka's question before he could ask it. "Being a Toa has its advantages. Bet they didn't tell you that during initiation, huh?" He grinned, self-satisfied. "The academy developed this chemical, they called it Energized Protodermis. It… well it changes you. And they put it in _everything."_ Kopaka felt his insides curl. The Academy drugged him? Now he knew why this process was so secret. If the Matoran found out that their Toa were basically on steroids there would be a riot. "It makes you taller, faster and stronger. It also gives you strange powers. Each Toa's power is different, though some are similar to others. Obviously yours will be similar to mine, that's why you're here. Why don't you give it a go?" Kopaka frowned.

"What, just wave my hands around—" He gestured toward Kualus and a spear of ice launched itself toward the tall Toa. Kualus waved his hand lazily at the spear and it shattered, its momentum spraying him with thousands of shards of ice.

"Yeah, basically, like that," he commented, bemused. Kopaka looked at his hands in amazement. He gestured again, this time more carefully, and dozens of shards of ice rose from the ground. They floated through the air and he swung his arms over his head so that they pointed away from him and the spears launched like javelins into the distance. "You're good. The last guy I got down here took half an hour to levitate a snowflake." Kopaka smirked and the movement caused a ripple to run through the snow around him. Kualus laughed. "You have the opposite problem. You have to learn to be able to walk and move through snow and ice without manipulating it." Kopaka shrugged, gesturing wildly, and to his surprise, nothing happened. He was hoping that would work, but he was not expecting it to. Kualus laughed again, seeing the surprise in Kopaka's eyes. "For some Toa, it's like a switch in their head, it flips whenever they want it to." Suddenly, he started. "Oh, before I forget, you have total control over all the ice and snow you can see, but if you can't see any, you can't control any." He then gazed into the distance and mumbled to himself. Eventually, he seemed to come to a realisation and he turned back to Kopaka. "I think we've covered everything." He walked back to his shield and fiddled around behind it for a few seconds, then came back to Kopaka. He held in his hand a silver flask. He held it out to Kopaka. "A concentrated shot of energised protodermis." Dubiously, Kopaka accepted the flask, and, after a second's hesitation, downed the contents in one gulp.


	18. Muscles

Hi guys, a quick one this time, to counter the massive one last time.

Enjoy :)

* * *

Kopaka woke with a gasp, breathing hard. He was soaked in sweat. He looked around him and was utterly confused. He lay in the corridor outside the lift. Standing over him were Matoro and Nuju. They were smiling bemusedly. Kopaka sat up, confused.

"What just happened?" he asked. His voice was croaky, and he realised his mouth was dry. He swallowed and tried again. "What is going on?" Nuju started to click and whistle and Matoro starred at him, nodding. When Nuju stopped 'speaking' Matoro translated.

"We don't know. Nobody knows what happens to anyone else inside that room," he indicated the door to the 'lift,' "but we do know that you probably met a Toa and we definitely know that your powers were awakened." Kopaka frowned, the memory of what happened to him already becoming fuzzy. He stood, sweeping his hand through his hair and ballooning out his cheeks, exhaling slowly.

"There was a cavern, made of ice, and—" Nuju cut him off with a whistle and started clicking away. Matoro's eyes glazed in concentration.

"Do not speak of your journey to anyone! What you have experienced here today is a jealously guarded secret. You must not tell any matoran what you have seen." Kopaka nodded slowly, remembering what Kualus had said, _the matoran would riot…_ As Kopaka thought about it more though, he frowned.

"What about the other Toa?" Nuju shook his head, and as he responded, Matoro translated.

"The process is highly personal, and sometimes uncomfortable. Unless another Toa offers to speak about their transformation, you will not ask." Kopaka nodded, and tried to stand. As he did so, he became aware of a constriction around his chest and legs. He turned to Nuju suspiciously.

"Transformation?" Nuju simply gestured at Kopaka, and Matoro remained blank faced. Kopaka looked down at his body and was surprised by what he found. When he had stepped into the corridor, he had been wearing grey jeans and a pale blue hoodie. The jeans had covered his ankles and the hoodie had gone down past his waist. What he saw however, was not this. The jeans, stretched tight around his thighs, ended half way down his calves. The hoodie exposed more abdomen than Kopaka would usually care to show, though he noted that it was now more defined than before. Kopaka felt a wave of claustrophobia and stripped off his hoodie, struggling to pull it over his head. When the feeling was not relieved, he looked down again to see his t-shirt stretched tight against his now muscular chest, stitches popping. He clawed at it and managed to get a few fingers under the hem. He pulled against it and it tore away from his body, clammy with sweat. Kopaka stood, panting. He suddenly remembered that he was not alone and embarrassed, he pulled his hoodie back on. Luckily, the hoddie had been loose fitting when he was smaller, so now it fit just right, though it was a little short. Kopaka looked at Nuju balefully. "What am I supposed to do about my clothes? Nothing I have will fit me now." He was struck by a sudden realisation. "My armour! All of that, worthless!" Nuju eyed Kopaka with something bordering disdain. Matoro translated Nuju's resultant clicks and whistles:

"You will find that these things have been accounted for. This academy is called supernatural for more than one reason. Do not assume, young Toa, that we are not aware of the issues presented by this transformation." Kopaka, slightly chastised, nodded. He remained nervous, however. Matoro indicated that he was to lead Kopaka back to his room, and Kopaka followed, only half paying attention. He was busy thinking of all the adjustments that would have to be made to his armour, and the money he would have to spend buying new clothes. Not to mention what he would wear until he could get clothes that fit. His jeans were already uncomfortable. Kopaka snapped into the real world as he realised that Matoro was holding open the door to the corridor where his room was. Kopaka nodded to him and walked through, ducking unconsciously as his brain registered the top of the doorway being much closer than it used to be. Pausing, he stood under the doorway and realised there was still a few inches between his head and the doorway, though that was significantly less than before. He paced over to his room that he shared with Onua and desperately hoped that the other boy was not there. When he turned the handle, his hopes were dashed.

"Kopaka!" came the cry from within the room, "this is so cool!" Kopaka braced himself and opened the door. He was confronted by a scene that was not dissimilar from when he first opened the door to his room. Onua was once again stripped to the waist, though this time he was standing and flexing. Kopaka had noted before that Onua's muscles were impressive in both size and definition, but the body that he was now confronted with was even better built than before. Kopaka felt a flicker of intimidation. Onua was still stocky, though he was now taller – almost as tall as Kopaka – and this gave him the impression of being a dense package of strength, waiting to erupt and cause havoc. Kopaka closed the door behind him and he rushed to rip his hoodie off. Onua wolf whistled as he was confronted with Kopaka's rippling back. Kopaka stiffened, his cheeks flushing red, then relaxed. The embarrassment was a default reaction to having his body scrutinised, though he relaxed himself forcibly, knowing that Onua would not mock him.

"You think the back is good," he said, smiling thinly and struggling with his jeans, "you should see the front." He managed to pull his jeans down from around his thighs and sighed as the blood flow returned. He turned to face Onua, who nodded admiringly.

"I gotta say, nerd boy, I didn't expect this from you," he quipped, smiling. Kopaka tried to pull a smile onto his face, but couldn't.

"It'll be gone after a week," his face hardened defiantly, "I'm sure as hell not working out to maintain this." He turned to his wardrobe and opened the doors, unconsciously selecting a shirt and slipping it off. It was only when he had done up half the buttons that he realised the shirt should not have fit him. He did up the rest of the buttons, up to his chin. He dressed the rest of himself, surprised when each article of clothing fit him fine. Finally, he slipped a tie around his collar and did it up, surprised when it hung at the correct length. He rolled his arms around slowly and revelled in the feeling of the cloth on his skin. The clothes, while big enough were all designed to be 'slim fit' and his new muscles pushed against some of the cuffs and hems. By this time, Onua had finished admiring himself and had also dressed. They turned and faced each other, both bewildered by how their clothes had grown to fit their bodies. Onua hesitantly ventured a theory.

"Well, they do call it the academy for _supernatural _combat…" Kopaka nodded thoughtfully. That would certainly be an easy explanation for what had happened, though it felt to Kopaka like cheating. Kopaka had always believed in what could be explained. There was a logical explanation for everything. It was possible, he supposed, that the Toa were simply being dosed up on drugs which rapidly and drastically increased their size. That would explain the sudden appearance of muscles on his previously lean body, and also possibly the hallucination where he thought he spoke to Kualus. On the other hand, it did nothing to explain why his clothes still fit him. The Turaga could possibly have replaced all his clothes with identical items of larger size, but the amount of time and money that would require, to replace every item of clothing for every student, would be astronomic. Kopaka was left at a loss for an explanation, a feeling that unnerved him.


	19. Flexing

Hi Guys :)

Thanks to Jabberwock4890 and SleepDeprivedLuna for your comments, feedback always makes me happy :) I think you will both enjoy the next two chapters.

Sorry to everyone for the delay, sh*t is starting to get real at school, so no longer can I write during class.

Enjoy :)

* * *

The next day Kopaka woke and dressed as normal, gazing for a moment at Onua's powerful back as it rose and fell on the ground. Despite his transformation, Onua retained the scars on his back. Shaking his head he left for breakfast. Kopaka frowned in concentration as he observed the breakfast crowd. Obviously the facility that Kopaka had utilised was not the only one in the academy, as all the Toa in training seemed to have increased in size. Some more than others, Kopaka noted. Kopaka seemed to have undergone one of the smallest changes, whereas Tahu and Pohatu towered over Onua, tensing and showing off their new strength. Kopaka noted that most of the male Toa underwent the same transformation – Increased size and definition of muscles – though there were some who seemed leaner and more willowy than before. These people, however, exuded an air, not of strength and power like most of the males, but of agility and speed. One of these was Lewa, who cartwheeled through the crowded canteen, almost bowling over a group of girls, who giggled at the attractive youth. Most of the girls seemed to have undergone this type of change, though like with the boys, there were a few who went the opposite way. Gali swayed past Kopaka's table and Kopaka gasped, though he managed to cover the sound with a cough. Gali flicked her hair casually, though it seemed to Kopaka a movement of great intention. Her blonde hair caught the early morning light and sparkled in a way which Kopaka was ashamed to admit brought the word 'magical' to his mind. She slipped gracefully through the crowd, sinewy muscles flowing like liquid. Kopaka tried to wrench his gaze away from her but could not. He had never been the type of guy to admire a girl purely on physical appearance, but he found that he was drawn to the deft, almost artistic, lines of Gali's body. Onua slipped into the seat next to Kopaka, startling him out of his daze. Onua grinned at Kopaka.

"I know, right!" Onua commented happily, eyes dancing across the room, taking in as much of the sight as he could. "Hell with her, bro, any of this lot would have you," he gestured at a group of girls walking past looking not so subtly at the boys sitting at the table. Kopaka's lip curled in disdain.

"Yesterday, none of them would have looked twice at me. I doubt they would have noticed me today, either, if you hadn't been sitting there." Onua laughed generously.

"Well, aren't we mister glass half empty? Anyway, you'll have your opportunity tonight. Tahu's throwing a party to celebrate the transformations," Kopaka smirked slightly. _So much for keeping the transformations secret_, "and I said you'd come." Kopaka turned to Onua, alarmed. Parties were not his favourite things in the world. In fact, there were not many things he liked less. Loud people and loud music. And, Kopaka realised, considering who was throwing the party, probably alcohol.

"Oh, you did, did you?" he commented, looking at Onua's self-satisfied expression. "Why the hell would you do that?" Onua blinked, taken aback. With a slightly wounded expression, he replied.

"Because I thought you would want to come?" he gestured at the canteen, "this half of the room has been invited, pretty much. Note, if you will, the inclusion of a certain stunning blonde…" Onua glanced slyly at Kopaka and was pleased to see Kopaka warring internally. Eventually, Kopaka nodded, but slowly. Onua grinned happily.

"Sweet. You hang out in the mechanics workshop, right?" Kopaka nodded, though by now he was barely paying attention, his focus having been directed toward Gali. Onua continued. "I'll come get you when we have to go. It's in the city, so we have to leave a little early to get their on time." Kopaka nodded.

* * *

For the rest of that day, Kopaka struggled to work on his electronics. Apart from the fact that he was oscillating from burning frustration to anxious apprehension, his hands made the work difficult. No longer were his fingers long and slender. They had increased in size along with the rest of his body, making the finicky electronics almost impossible to manipulate. As the day went on, however, he became more practiced and regained some of his old skill. He continued in this way, absorbed in his work. He became vaguely aware that someone was standing behind him, watching him work. A few of the Toa, at a loss for how to fix a problem they were having, but not confident enough to ask anyone, had watched over his shoulder before. They usually left, however, when they thought Kopaka had noticed them, and Kopaka made it obvious by shifting in his seat and coughing. So Kopaka shifted in his seat and coughed. The figure, however, did not leave. Instead, he stepped up next to Kopaka and pointed at the breadboard he was working with.

"What's that?" Onua asked. Kopaka raised his eyebrow. Waving his hands in the air enigmatically, Kopaka replied sarcastically.

"Magic." He looked around and was surprised to see that it was dark outside. He looked at his watch and was surprised at how long he had spent in the workshop.

"Time to go?" he asked, anxious, but also slightly keen for what was ahead. Onua nodded, grinning. Kopaka snarled internally. Obviously, Onua was excited. To be fair, Kopaka hadn't left the Academy since he got there and he was looking forward to seeing the city again. Kopaka packed up his electronics and stood, bracing himself for the evening to come. The pair left the workshop and met Tahu, Pohatu and Lewa at the gate to the Academy. They walked out of the Academy, a growing sense of foreboding taking hold in his stomach.


	20. Nights are Mainly Made

Updated to make for nicer reading XD

Thanks to all of ya'll reviews, faves and follows, it means a lot to me XD

BTW if you were wondering, the chapter title comes from a lyric in the Arctic Monkeys song 'Do I Wanna Know' : "...The nights are mainly made for sayin' things that you can't say tomorrow day..."

Enjoy.

* * *

Kopaka seethed. He glared at Onua, who smiled sleepily back at him. Kopaka was used to being awake at ridiculous hours of the morning. What he was not used to, though, was guiding four teenage males, in varying states of sobriety, through the city centre. Kopaka had not enjoyed his night. Onua had abandoned him and Kopaka had spent most of the party in a corner of the room as far away from the monstrous speaker stack as possible. He stood, hands in his pockets, glaring at anyone who came too close and watching Onua, Pohatu, Tahu and Lewa descend from reasonable people into drunk teenagers.

Now, as they walked through the city to the chute station, Kopaka wasn't hiding his displeasure. He knew that this night would be fuzzy, so he freely insulted the boys and used more force than he perhaps otherwise would to guide the loud, rude, disgusting teens. Onua was dragging his feet and had been for some time. His toe caught on a paving stone which protruded slightly, and Kopaka helped Onua on the way down, ensuring he hit the ground with a painful amount of force. Onua barely seemed to notice however, picking himself up and still smiling sleepily. Kopaka snarled and whacked him on the back of the head. Onua simply stumbled a few steps forward, but didn't retaliate.

Lewa and Tahu were at the front of the group, each with more alcohol than blood in their veins. They shouted at the people they walked past, very effectively clearing a path. Kopaka looked at them and shuddered. They would have the mother of all headaches tomorrow morning. The only one of the boys who wasn't making any trouble was Pohatu. The young man had realised he had had a little too much to drink and was moving very slowly and with great care.

The sun had started to rise when the ragged group finally returned to the Academy. Thankfully the journey had been reasonably uneventful, with Tahu and Lewa simultaneously vacating their stomachs into convenient shrubbery being the most exciting event. Kopaka held open the gate for the other boys, lifting his leg slightly when Onua passed through, tripping the other boy. Onua, for the umpteenth time that night, rose, smiled sleepily at Kopaka – who growled – and kept walking. Kopaka, having realised that the party would probably go late, unrolled his kit-bag, having brought it with him. He selected a pair of picks and set to work on the door, almost hoping the group would be caught by Turaga before he finished just so that the four drunks would be punished. Kopaka looked away from his lock for a moment and caught Pohatu's eye.

_Well, perhaps not all four of them deserve to be punished._ Pohatu was frowning deeply, no doubt trying to find a specific thought in his clouded brain. Unfortunately, no Turaga stumbled upon the group, though how that was possible, Kopaka had no idea. _Perhaps they realised something like this was likely to occur, what with the transformations, and decided to let it go. _A moment later he reconsidered. _Perhaps they are all asleep._ The lock clicked and Kopaka turned his picks, opening the door. He bundled the other teens through. Luckily Lewa's room was off the corridor which presented itself to the boys. Kopaka almost threw the boy into his room. He led the other two along the corridor to the end, which opened onto the canteen. Pohatu and Tahu shared a room only a few doors down from Kopaka and Onua, on the other side of the canteen. Kopaka opened the door and was surprised to see a silhouette sitting cross-legged on a table in the middle of the room. The figure started as the boys burst into the room, seeming to uncurl like a flower. Kopaka was about to ignore the insomniac when he saw a river of gold cascade down the figure's shoulders as she turned around.

_You have got to be kidding me._ Kopaka imagined the other half of his mind grabbing a handful of popcorn and settling down on a comfy chair. Tahu wolf whistled at Gali, for of course the blonde was none other. The drunk teen set a smile on his face which, when sober, would have been winning, but without the full cooperation of his faculties, it came off sleazy. Kopaka turned to Pohatu.

"Can you get yourself to your room?" he asked urgently as Tahu started to speak, producing sentences which varied between illegible and inappropriate. Pohatu nodded solemnly and shuffled slowly off to the doors at the other end of the room. Kopaka turned to Tahu and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. The other boy fell silent, turning his attention to resisting Kopaka weakly. Kopaka was about to drag Tahu away when Onua stopped him, still with that infuriating sleepy smile.

"Bro, let him talk," he gestured in the general direction of Gali, who sat in uncomfortable silence, "Just 'cos you love Gali, doesn't mean Tahu can't have a go." The gaze on Kopaka's face could have bored holes through solid steel, but Onua remained obstinately unaware of the other Toa's frustration. Gali slid down from her table, stepping tentatively toward the three boys.

"You what?" she asked, frowning and with a sudden sense of anticipation. Onua turned from Kopaka to Gali.

"Yeah, he loves you." Kopaka's eyes widened, then narrowed into slits and he growled audibly at Onua, grabbing him with the hand which was not occupied by Tahu. Attempting to salvage a scrap of dignity from the situation, he replied defiantly, glaring at Onua.

"No, I don't," he turned to Gali, "I don't love you." Onua giggled, and Kopaka turned to him, frowning in confusion.

"What a load of crap," the blissfully intoxicated youth declared. Turning to Gali, he addressed her. "Have you seen the way he looks at you? Every morni—" He was cut off as he was dragged away by Kopaka. Defiantly, he continued. "Every morning, he pretends not to look at anyone in particular, but you can tell, he's looking at you." Gali frowned, looking at Kopaka for confirmation, who merely shrugged, embarrassed. It was true, he did spend a disproportionate amount of time staring blankly at the table which Gali sat at in the mornings. Onua wrenched himself free from Kopaka's grasp and stepped back toward Gali. "You know, you cut him deep, when you yelled at him." He leaned forward and lowered his voice fractionally, though he was still easily audible. "He doesn't know I heard him, but he talks in his sleep." Kopaka released Tahu, who collapsed to the ground gasping. Kopaka stepped back toward Onua, a murderous look in his eyes. Gali frowned at Onua.

"What does he say?" Onua looked back at Kopaka, somehow deciding that answering Gali's question would be a good idea.

"He says he made a mistake. He never should have screwed you over and he wishes you weren't angry at him." By this point, Kopaka was standing behind Onua. Kopaka grabbed the young man, wrapping his arm around Onua's neck, tucking his elbow under Onua's chin and his other arm pinning Onua's arms to his side. Kopaka started to tighten his arm around Onua's throat, but the other Toa managed to gasp out one last sentence. "You're the first girl he's ever wanted to be close to." With that, Onua slumped into Kopaka's arms, unconscious. Kopaka put the body down, perhaps a little more roughly than was necessary. Gali looked at Kopaka with an expression that started as alarm – Kopaka had just rendered Onua unconscious – but which changed to something more neutral. _Malleable, _murmured Kopaka's nasty inner voice. The other voice frowned disapprovingly at the first. Kopaka rained in his brain and started to a coordinate an excuse for what Onua had said. He was interrupted by Tahu though, who lunged at Gali from behind Kopaka. Kopaka, for the umpteenth time that night, stuck out his foot and Tahu tripped, landing sprawled on the ground. He looked up at Gali and cried out in desperation.

"He doesn't love you, but I do, I do!" Kopaka knelt down beside Tahu and clapped his hands over Tahu's ears. Tahu's eyes crossed and he rolled onto his side, ears ringing. Kopaka looked up at Gali, his features twisted into a fearsome snarl. Gali took a step back, afraid of the young man who knelt before her. Kopaka saw this fear and hurriedly rearranged his face into something less aggressive. Gali reached out and grabbed the nearest chair, sitting heavily. She tried to start several sentences, but she seemed unable to formulate a coherent thought. Eventually she managed a quiet question.

"Why did you do everything that you did? Especially if that's how you felt?" Kopaka felt an expansion in his chest, something between terror and excited anticipation. He too grabbed a chair and dragged it so he was sitting across from Gali. He sat back and his thumb toyed with his thin stubble absentmindedly. He finally decided upon a response. Waving at Tahu, he began.

"I saw him looking at you. I guessed how he felt about you. At the time, I didn't lov—I didn't feel anything for you. I saw a way to help myself get what I wanted, and I could help him get what he wanted." Kopaka gestured at Tahu, who was now whimpering on the ground. "We were never supposed to 'go out.' I never wanted you to feel 'used.' If things had gone to plan, you never would have known. I had hoped that Tahu and you would be happy, and I would be happy." He paused and sighed heavily. His heart skipped a beat as he realised what hung in the balance. He would have to play his cards very carefully. He waited a beat, then raised his head again, and looked Gali in the eye. He almost lost focus for a moment, swimming in a sea of liquid gold, but he composed himself. "I'm sorry. I screwed up." He reached across to grab her hand. Initially she recoiled from the movement, and he slowed, but she seemed to relax, so Kopaka completed the movement. He kept looking her in the eye, fighting to keep composure. He just wanted to stare at those eyes all day. They were so beautiful. Kopaka had never before been so drawn to any sight so much as he was her eyes. Heart beating, he squeezed her hand. "Can you forgive me?" Gali's face had tracked through many emotions while Kopaka was speaking, and it now warped to overwhelmed. She seemed as though she might cry, and Kopaka was about to resume speaking when they heard Onua gasping himself awake. The pair, who had leaned into one another now recoiled. Kopaka rose and walked stiffly to Onua, picking up Tahu on the way and helping him to walk. Kopaka held both of the other Toa by the scruff of their necks and marched them out of the canteen, dropping off first Onua and then Tahu. Kopaka smiled slightly when he saw that Pohatu was slumped across his bed, halfway through putting on his pyjamas. He closed the door and ran back to the canteen. When he opened the door, however, Gali was nowhere to be seen. Cursing Onua, Kopaka turned and trudged back to his room.


End file.
